Decatur Daily Democrat, Volume 59, Number 105, Decatur, Adams County, 4 May 1961 — Page 1

Vol. LIX No. 105.

Space Flight Slated Friday

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (UPI) —Officials said todky chances are good that America’s first astronaut will hop into space Friday morning. Lt. Col. John Powers, information officer of the Mercury man-in-space project, said: “The weather man tells us that it looks like the weather will be clear enough for us to go.” Prime astronaut Alan B. Shepard Jr. and the Redstone rocket which will shove him and his Mercury cabin into space also were ready. Barring a weather change for the worse, the shot could come at 8 a.m. EDT. Shepard will be fired 115 miles up and 290 miles down the Atlantic missile range in a 15minute ride marking America’s first venture into space. Issue Detailed Forecast The forecast for Friday was fair weather throughout the launching area here. The cloud cover is expected to be well within the minimums set by Mercury officials. There will be a southeasterly surface wind of less than 17 miles an hour, and the sea will be running at from two to three In the Bahamas and the Caribbean area where Shepard will make a sea landing, it will be partly cloudy with a few widely scattered showers, the forecast said. The prediction lor the landing area 80 miles northeast of Grand Bahama Island, where the recovery fleet is deployed, called for

Unemployment Here Is Below Average Decatur continued in good comparison with the rest of the country in employment in March, according to figures released today by the research and statistics section of the Indiana employment security division. Decatur's unemployment remained below 4%, compared with a national average in the U. S. of 7.7%, and state-wide average of. 8 5%. Fort Wayne stayed at j 6.2%. Muncie at D. 9%, and South Bend at 12.8%. Construction Improved Seasonal increases in construction and trade activities are rapidly improving the picture. The First National Bank of Chicago, in its monthly bulletin for May. indicated that the resurgence of the economy was underway. Personal income rose in March by $3.4 billion, achieving $409.6 billion, just under the October rate, when the incomes began declining. March payrolls were up a; billion dollars. Industrial production rose slightly, with indications of another improvement in April. Unemployment is expected to remain near its current range for th,e, month of April, although weekly figures indicate a steadily improving picture here in Decatur. Earnings Over Average The average weekly earning of a production worker in Indiana is $100.60, well above the national average of $91.31. ranking the Hoosier state sixth in the nation, an improvement over last year. The average monthly salaries of state-emplqved persons in Indiana is $327, below the national level of $365. ranking 33rd among the 50 states. This is an improvement over the state’s rank of 36th a year ago. however. Only in highways, education, police and correction is Indiana above the all-states average in number of government employes. Salaries ore below average in all except education, police, health, and national resources. INDIANA WEATHER Fair tonight, partly cloudy Friday. Chance of some rain late Friday or Friday night. Little temperature change. Low tonight In the 40s north, 45 to 55 south. High Friday 48 to 64 north, 70s south. Sunset today 7:41 p.m. Sunrise Friday 5:42 a.m. Outlook for Saturday: Mostly cloudy with rain likely. Little temperature change. Lows 45 to 55. Highs 60 to 70. Drratnr Temperature* Local weather data for the 24 hour period ending: at 11 a.m. today. 13 noon 69 Midnight 48 1 p.m 64 1 a.m 48 2 p.m 66 2 a.m .46 3 p.m ,65 3 a.m 44 4 p.m. 63 4 a.m 43 5 p.m 62 5 a.m 42 6 p.m 61 6 a.m 42 7 p.m 69 7 a.m. 47 8 p.m 68 8 a.m. 53 9 p.m. 54 9 a.m. 55 10 p.m 6'2 10 a.m 5T 11 p.m 60 M a.m ... 59 -— —' Rata — — 7 — Total for 24 hours ending: at 7 a, m. today, 0 Inches. . The St. Mary s river was at 4. <2.

DECATUR DAILY DEMOCRAT

winds well below the 21 mile an hour maximum set by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. “This means,” Powers said, “that the chances are better than 50-50 in our book that we can get off the launching before the weather worsens. " “Os course,” he added, “we have no concrete assurance that the weather wiii be perfect.” In Simulated Flights Shepard and his backup astronaut, John H. Glenn, Jr., and the Redstone went through simulated flights Wednesday. These “electronic flights,” Powers said, took around an hour and a half to complete. “She performed beautifully with no diffitulties,” Powers said. “It went absolutely okay.” The man and his space machine are ready. Should officials of the SSOO million Project Mercury program decide *'go,” tons of fuming liquid oxygen and denatured alcohol will be poured into the stomach of a modified Redstone rocket shortly after midnight. If all goes well, Shepard will put on his silvery space suit, climb into a 1% ton Mercury capsule atop the rocket and thunder into space for a 15-minute space flight 6>4 hours later. Success would put America just a halfstep behind Russia in the manned conquest of space. Weather forced postponement of the shot Tuesday after the count had reached 140 minutes before scheduled blast-off.

Plan Discussion On Highway Program INDIANAPOLIS <UPI> — Three Hobsier congressmen will meet here Saturday with officials of Indiana Highways for Survival • Inc. to discuss pending legislation • on the federal interstate highway • program. Those scheduled to >ttend are Reps. John Brademas, ■ South Bend; Ray Madden. Gary, ! and Winfield K Denton. Evansville, all Democrats. Aged North Vernon Man Dies Os Burns ! SEYMOUR. Ind. tUPl»—Wilford Carney, 77. North Vernon, died in Schneck Hospital here Wednesday from burns suffered when his clothing caught fire as he was burning trash at his home. Carney recently retired as a railroad conductor and he and his wife had shipped their furniture to Kalispel. Mont., Tor future residence. Social Work Parley Is Held Wednesday More than 150 persons attended the Northeast Indiana regional conference on social work, held at the Youth and Community Center in Decatur Wednesday morning and afternoon. Miss Bernice Nelson, head of the Adams county welfare department, reported that representatives from all 12 counties in the i Northeast Indiana district attended the conference, in addition to visitors from Elkhart, Howard, and Blackford counties, which are located in other districts. Also in attendance were three representatives from the state de-« partment of public welfare, the executive secretary of the state conference, and the president-elect of the state conference. Main Speakers The conference, with the theme of “Basic social welfare issues in the sixties”, opened at 9 a.m. with registration. The three main speakers included Mrs. Ruth Lane, director of the Northeast Indiana social security administration; Mrs. Gladys H. Ruoff, supervisor of consultants of the state department of public welfare; and Fred Steininger, director of the Lake county welfare department. Local attendance included the staff of the Adams county welfare department, which includes Miss Nelson, Mrs. Barbara Nicks, and Mrs. Mabel Marshall; Mrs. W. Guy Brown of the Adams county tuberculosis society; Mrs. Wanda Oelberg, executive secretary of the Adams county Red Cross; Miss Grace Lichtenstiger, secretary of the Reppert school of auctioneering; county superintendent Gail Grabill and city school superintendent W. Guy Brown; Mrs. Gaib Grabill, Adams county nurse; Mrs. Mildred Foley, county attendance officer; Chris H. Muselman, county probation officer; Severin Schurger, legal attorney for the welfare department; Francis Shell, Welfare board member, and Mrs. Joan Doan, of the ‘39ers club.

Bill McColly Net Coach At Decatur High

ft Jf 'Hj . Bill McColly William D. “Bill” McColly, assistant basketball coach at Decatur high school for the past four years, was named Wednesday as head basketball coach by the Decatur school board. He will replace Paul Bevelhimer, who resigned recently to take the basketball coaching job at the new North Miami high school in Miami county. Robert Worthman, former Decatur basketball coach, was moved ,up from freshman coach to assist McColly and handle the reserve team. The school board received over ;50 applications for the coaching job, and interviewed seven of the applicants in person. Many of ; the prospective coaches were automatically eliminated from contension because of their teaching fields. In a school the size of Decatur high school, it is necessary for the coach to also serve almost full-time as a classroom teacher. In addition to his assistant coaching, McColly is also coach of the baseball team, a job he will retain. In his first year in the Decatur system, he was junior high basketball coach. Hartford Ctty Graduate McColly graduated from Hartford City high school in 1947, and entered Ball State Teachers College in the fall of that year. He received his bachelor’s degree in 1951, and served in the United States Army for the next two years. An outstanding high school, college and service baseball player, McColly played professional baseball in the minor leagues for three years, playing with farm teams of the Milwaukee Braves. In 1956. McColly quit the baseball trail, and came to Decatur to start his teaching career. He received his master’s degree from Rail State in 1958. McColly is married, and has three children. The new high school coach played four years of varsity basketball in high school, starting in Montpelier, and then transferring to Hartford City. At Ball State, he played one year on the freshman team, and his last three years on the varsity.

Frieda Knipsfein Dies Unexpectedly Mrs. Frieda Knipstein. 66. wife of Christ Knipstein, died suddenly at 11:45 p.m. Wednesday at her home. 8528 South Anthony Blvd.. Fort Wayne. She had not been ill and death was unexpected. She was bom in Wayne township, Allen county, Aug. 16, 1894, a daughter of Christian and Sophia Fruechtenicht - Poehler. and was married to Christ Knipstein Sept. 14, 1919. They lived in Preble township for 24 years before moving to Fort Wayne in 1944. Mrs. Knipstein was a member of the Trinity Suburban Lutheran church near Fort Wayne on the Decatur road, and was a member of the Ladies Aid of the church. Surviving in addition to her husband are two sons, Walter F. and Wilbur M. Knipstein, both of Fort Wayne; 11 grandchildren; two brothers, Fred Poehler of Monroeville route 2, and Arthur Poehler of Fort Wayne route 10, and three sisters, Miss Emilie Poehler of Fort Wayne, Mrs. Louis (Emma) Scharpenberg of Fort Wayne route 7, and Mrs. Herman (Clara) Hockemeyer of Monroeville route 2. One son, Alvin, and two brothers are deceased. Funeral services will be conducted at 1:45 p.m. Sunday at the Zwick funeral home and at 2:30 p.m. at the Trinity Suburban Lutheran church. The Rev. L. J. Fuchs will officiate and burial will be in the church cemetery. Friends may call at the funeral home after 7 p.m. Friday until time of the

ONLY DAILY NEWSPAPER IN ADAMS COUNTY

Decatur, Indiana, Thursday, May 4, 1961.

Military Action IJalted By Both Sides In Laos; Conference Set May 12

Minimum Wage Law Passed By Congress

WASHINGTON (UPI)— Several | legislators said today the comeback victory on the minimum wage bill might sound the death knell for the Republican - Demo? cratic coalition that has frustrated House liberals for years. The House passed by a 230-196 vote Wednesday a measure to extend wage-hour law coverage and increase the minimum wage to $1.25 an hour. President Kennedys supporters hailed passage of the bill, which had been sidetracked earlier this year by the coalition, as a breakthrough for the entire administration program. Legislators declined to write the tough/coalitions obituary but noted that many southern congressmen who voted against the bill last March 24 supported it, Wednesday. Sees More Victories Speaker Sam Rayburn, D-Tex., said the action gave promise of more victories ahead. House Democratic Leader John W. McCormack. Mass., saw it as a “vote of confidence in the leadership of ( Presidenty Kennedy. Rep. Adam Clayton Powell, DN.Y., manager of the Kennedy bill, interpreted the outcome as a defeat for what he called the concept of Republican Leader Charles A. Halleck, Ind., “of keeping the Youth captives of the ‘

Summer School Plans Nearly Completed Nearly complete plans for the annual summer school at the Decatur high school, and a redevelopment reading program during the summer at the Fort Wayne Center of Purdue University, were announced today by Hugh J. Andrews, high school principal. At- the present time, there are 135 signed for four courses in the summer school program. A fifth course, senior social problems and government, is in the formative stages, with several more interested persons needed to fill a class. A few vacancies may exist in typing (full year’s credit), speech (full year), and freshman mathematics (full year). The driver’s training course is completely filled at present, with no vacancies anticipated. Any Adams county student who

Advertising Index Walter Wiegmann, Auctioneer.. 4 Sheets Furniture 6 Sonotone of Eastern Indiana .. 2 Smith Drug Co. - - 8 Teeple Truck Lines — 5 L. Smith Insurance Agency ... 5 A & P Tea Co., Inc. 3 Arnold Lumber Co.. Inc. — 8 Adams Theater 8 Burk Elevator Co. 5 Bower Jewerly Store — 3 Blue Flame Gas Corp 5 D. & T. Standard Service 5 Drive In Theater 8 Evans Sales & Service 5 Equity 8 Ellenberger Bros., Auctioneer.. 5 Evans Grocery 6 Fairway —>. -3, 8 Allen Fleming 5 Flatrock Ladies Aid ..... 3 Gambles 7 Goodin’s I.G.A. Market 4 Holthousei Furniture 8 P N. Hirsch & Co 2 Paul Havens ChevroletBuick, Inc. 5,7, 8 H. & M. Builders, Inc. _ r 7 L. O. O. Moose - 8 Model Hatchery 5 G. C. Murphy Co. 2,7 Glenn C. Merica, Auctioneer ~ 5 Niblick & Cb. - —2, 3 J. J. Newberry Co. 4, 6 New Bremen Speedway T\

I Republican party. “It means the South is part of the Union again, Powell said. House Republicans saw Wednesdays defeat as the direct result of strong pressure from the White House on southern Democrats. Republican Whip Leslie Wrends, 111., said: “They don’t call them up and ask them, they call them up and tell them.” Covers More Workers It brought 3.6 million employes of large retail stores and service establishments under the law. They will gzt a $1 an hour minimum four months after tho bill becomes law, and progress to $1.25 in three steps over five years. They also will be entitled to overtime pay for more than 40 hours of work in a week after the five-year period. About 663,000 workers in this group are now under $1 and will get pay hikes in the first year. The bill also raises the present $1 minimum wage to $1.25 for the 24 million workers, mostly in factories and distribution jobs, already covered by the law. This increase would be stretched out over 28 months, with 1.9 million workers getting increases from the first step to $1.15 after four months. Before the crucial House vote, the Senate approved the bill 6428.

does not have the same course available during the summer session in his own school, is eligible to attend, with no tuition charges. Further information may be obtained from the high school office. Reading Program The Fort Wayne Center of Purdue University will offer a development reading program at various intervals during the summer. This course is designed for students from grades 9 through 12, and should prove advantageous for any young people who have certain reading difficulties. The course will be given at various times, beginning June 12, and other two-week periods continuing through Aug. 18. Further information on this program may be obtained from the guidance office at the Decatur high school. Slightly Warmer Weather Forecast By United Press International Frost was recorded in Indiana again today, but the wintry sting of sub-freezing weather began to fade away in a wave of slightly moderating temperatures. Near-freezing lows of 33 were recorded at Goshen and Lafayette this morning, and minimums in the mid and upper 30s were common over the bulk of the state. But the readings generally were a few degrees warmer than We4biesday’s lows and a trend toward cloudy and rainy conditions appeared to have ended what may be the last frosty wave of the season. It was 35 at South Bend. 36 at Fort Wayne, 39 at Cincinnati and Indianapolis and 46 at Evansville this morning. Lows tonight, however, will range from the 40s to the low 50s. Highsi Wednesday ranged from 56 at South Bend to 67 at Evansville. Highs today will range from 58 to 75. and highs Friday from rear 60 to near 70. Clear and dry weather of the past few days was scheduled to end with showers beginning possibly this afternoon in the southwest and spreading over the major portion of the state by Friday. More rain was likely | Saturday.

VIENTIANE, Laos (UPI)-Gen. Phoumi Nosavan, the pro-Western military strongman of Laos, said today both sides have halted military action in this troubled Asian kindgom. Phoumi, deputy premier and defense minister in Prince Boun Oum’s government, said that according to all information he could gather there has been no fighting since 6 p.m. (6 a.m. EDT) Wednesday. He made the announc eme n t after flying Wednesday to Savannakhet, apparently to investigate reports the Communist - supported Pathet Lao rebels had attacked Muong Phalang. “From this trip and from word we hear from the other side’s radio broadcasts, it appears that as of 6 p.m. Wednesday a cease-fire is being respected all over Laos,” Phoumi said.

Ignored For Week The announcement had been anticipated. After a week of ignoring truce appeals by the government, the rebels announced on Wednesday they had ordered their troops to cease fire at 8 a.m. When the government was convinced the rebels meant it, Phoumi ordered his troops to cease fire at 5 p.m. - Because of communications difficulties in this jungle kingdom, it was possible there still would be minor clashes between the two sides until word could filter down to all the troops. The cease-fire set the stage for the arrival of the International Control Commission on Indochina to verify the halt to military operations. The commission, composed of Canada, India and Poland, has been waiting in New Delhi for the fighting to stop. There still was a great deal of confusion surrounding the next step toward solving the political future of Laos. Conference Set A 14-nation conference — including the United States, Britain, Russia and Communist China—is scheduled to begin in Geneva May 12 to try to find a solution. Laotian King Savang Vathana has let it be known he will not have anything to do with the conference but plans to call the Laotian Parliament into session May 11 to form a new coalition government.

Native Os Decatur Is Taken By Death Mrs. Hazel G. McDonald, 62, of Gary, a native of Decatur, died at 5:15 p.m. Tuesday in the Gary hospital, where she had been in serious condition for the past two weeks* following a heart attack. The daughter of Carl O. and Kit Peterson France, she was born in Decatur September 20, 1898, and attended the Decatur school. Later the family moved to the Gary area. She is survived by her husband, Laverne M. McDonald, and brother, Carl H. France, both of Gary. Relatives include the following aunts and uncle: Mrs. John S. Peterson, Mrs. John H. Heller, Mrs. Grace Allwein, Miss Elizabeth Peterson, Mrs. Bernice Magley, all of Decatur; Mrs. Margaret Peterson, of Indianapolis, and Mrs. Richard Peterson, of Corvallis, Ore. Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday at the Williams & Bums funeral home in Gary. Burial will be in Gary. Dismiss Request To Close Decatur Agency INDIANAPOLIS (UPI) — The Pennsylvania Railroad Wednesday petitioned the Indiana Public Service Commission* for authority to close its freight agency at Southport, near Indianapolis. Also, in another petition, the Railway Express Agency asked to dismiss requests it had filed earlier to close agencies at Decatur, Argos and Thomtown.

City Officials Ask Views On Purchase “What is the opinion of Decatur residents on the city council purchasing the First street lot where the Kocher Lumber Co. has been abandoned?” TOWS question was asked by Mayor Donald Gage at the city council meeting Tuesday night, in connection with the possible purchase of the lot where the Kocher I,umber Co. was for many yeax;s, before its recent merger with the Decatur Lumber Co. located at the comer of Jefferson and First streets.

George Thomas, local realtor, is handling toe sale of the lot and has appeared at the last two city council meetings with George F. Anderson, who purchased toe Decatur Lumber Co. about the first erf March from Harold Mumma and then merged with the Kocher Lumber Co. First Chance To City Shortly thereafter, Anderson, Mrs. James Kocher, Sr., Mrs. Jaimes Kocher, Jr., and toe stockholders, announced that toe First street lot would be sold and first chance at buying toe property was given to the city of Decatur. As of Tuesday night, the city council was still undecided as to whether or not to buy toe proper-, tv. Many business men and groups have requested that the council purchase toe property and construct a city parking lot. Groups Appeared Other than these groups, however, not too many persons have contacted their counoilmen on the matter and whether or not they are for or against toe purchase of toe lot by the city. The council presented a bid of SIO,OOO to Thomas and Anderson to get toe negotiations started. Thomas, speaking on behalf of the owners, later stated that the lowest possible price they could sell toe property for was $16,500. Thomas also said that the price was only that low because the owners would like to help the city of Decatur in any way possible and wouldn’t sell for that low a price to any other group or firm.

Seagoing School Is Sunk, Six Drowned

TAMPA, Fla. (UPI)-A rescue vessel steamed toward port today with toe 13 survivors of a sunken sailing ship used as an ocean-going classroom for wealthy American teen-agers. The motor vessel Grand Rio plucked the survivors from the sea Tuesday when toe twin-mast-ed Albatross sank during a storm in the Gulf of Mexico. Its captain radioed toe Coast Guard six persons were lost when toe 110foot brigantine swamped. The 93-ton Albatross was cruising the Gulf of Mzxico bound from Progresso, Mexico, to Nassau, Bahamas, when disaster struck. Capt. Christopher B. Sheldon, one of toe survivors, told the Coast Guard in a ship-to-shore report from the Grand Rio “there 1 is no probability of additional survivors.” Sheldon, who operated toe Alba- : tross under toe name of Ocean Academy Ltd., with shore head- i quarters in Darien, Conn., said the craft “went down in less than 1 a minute” after it began taking water. Those below decks had no ] possible chance of escaping, he said. Sheldons wife, Alice, 30, a for- < mer Miami physician and the’ only woman aboard the Albatross, 1 was one of toe missing. The other missing were: John Goodlet, 17, of Arlington, ] Va. Robert Wetherill IV, 17, of Me- ] dla. Pa., member of a socially prominent Philadelphia family. 1

Seven Cents

Mayor Donald Gage reminded the council that if they did purchase the property for use as a parking lot, that many expenses would enter into the picture. Some of these would be that the old Kocher Co. building would have to be tom down, the lot would have to be paved, lighted, and metered. The coundlmen have promised to give an answer very shortly and they would all appreciate some more of the citizens of Decatur to voice their opinions to them so that they may do the bidding of the taxpayers. Board Members Are Appointed In County

David J. Schwartz, of Monroe township, a Democrat, and Tom Sullivan, of Geneva,- a Republican, have been named to the county board of review by Judge Myles F. Parrish, of the Adame circuit court. The county auditor, Edward F. Jaberg, the county treasurer, Waldo F. Neal, and county assessor, Walter Kaos, are ex officio members of the board. The county board of review meets the first Monday in June, is in session for 30 days, and bears all complaints on assessments. Charles Langston, of Decatur, and Men no Lehman, of Berne, both Republicans, and Joseph S. Anderson, of Geneva, and Louis Reinking, of Preble, both Democrats, were appointed to the county tax adjustment board. Mayor Donald F. Gage, of Decatur, will be a member, and the township trustees will name a member. The tax adjustment board meets in September to study tax rates. Arrest Farmer On Bootlegging Charge TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (UPT) — Brian Lake, 55, a rural Clinton farmer, was free on SI,OOO bond today pending appearance before a federal grand jury on charges of possessing, selling and transferring untaxed whiskey.

Rick Marsellus, 16, New Port Beach, Calif., son of a wealthy automobile dealer. Chris Coristine, 17, Montreal, Q of California, the ships cook. The Albatross set sail last September from the historic port of Mystic, Conn. Tuition tor the cruise was $3,250 per student. The youths were given an academic year of study in basic courses for college preparation. Sheldon drilled them “just like old time seamen,” he once said. The survivors, in addition to the captain, were: John Perry, 26, Manchester, Conn., a mathematics professor. Richard Langford, 35, Deland, Fla., an English professor on leave from Stetson University. Philip LeboutflUer, 17, Toledo, Ohio. William 6. Bunting, 16, Cam* bridge, Mass. Charles Laile, 16, Pontiac, Mich. Tim Barrows, 16, Wayne, N.J. Robert L. Brett Jr., If, Concord, Mass. David T. Johnstone, 16, Stonin#ton. Conn. Charles Gieg, 17, Wilson. Cons. Charles Sahler. 17, Ptttsford. N.Y. William Schaill, 15, Bronxvtßa. N.Y. Richard Strayer, 15, Carlislo, Pa^