Decatur Daily Democrat, Volume 61, Number 219, Decatur, Adams County, 17 September 1963 — Page 1

VOL. LXI. NO. 219.

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Quintuplets Past Worst Danger Time

ABERDEEN, S.D. (UPI) — The Fischer quintuplets broke through their greatest danger period today and their proud mother celebrated with prayers of thanksgiving and Holy Communion. The five quints, each of them with a full Christian name at last and thriving on a diet of milk formula laced with vitamins, passed the 72-hour “danger period" of their tiny lives in which their doctor had warned the perils of premature birth are greatest. Today, physicians said, their chances for survival were at their brightest. Mrs. Mary Ann Fischer awoke early and received the Roman Catholic sacrament of Holy Communion from Father Vincent Healy, a visiting assistant pastor at Aberdeen’s Sacred Heart Church. She was saying prayers of thanksgiving when she was visited by Sister Mary Stephen, administrator of St. Luke’s Hospital. Her “Best Night” “It’s the best night I’ve had,” the auburn-haired mother said. “I slept all night.” Her babies also had a fine night. Sister Stephen checked with the nursery and reported “they eat, sleep and wiggle like normal babies.” The quints are still tolerating their food—four to six cc’s of milk formula every two hours—and are drinking it all down, the sister said. She indicated the ■ decision might be made today on when Mrs. Fischer, 30, can go home to her husband and their other five children. Her departure might come as early as Wednesday, it was reported. The quints will hove to stay in the hospital for an extended period. The last of the quints passed the 72-hour mark at 3:01 a m. A hospital spokesman said their color was good and they were crying well. “They were active,” said the assistant evening head nurse of the St. Luke’s Hospital maternity unit, Mrs. Frank Fettig. “They were turning from end to end of their isolettes, feet up against the wall. Turning clear-head-to-toe. The most active? Oh, I think it was the boy. He was the weak one when they were first born but he has become a strong wiggler. “He and Mary Catherine are the most active of the lot. She was really moving and waving her arms. She was really directing traffic.” Progress Encouraging The latest progress report on the five tiny bundles of energy was “Condition fine, and all on milk formula.’’ The fact that all five were strong enough to change from their sugar-water diets to the formula was encouraging. When Mrs. Mary Ann Brady Fischer, 30, the mother of five previous children, began giving birth to tRe quints, it was 1:58 a.m., CST, Saturday. The last was born at 3:01 a.nfi Dr. James N. Berbos, the 40-year-old general practioner who delivered them, said they were six to eight weeks premature.

DECATUR DAILY DEMOCRAT

He said a general three-full-day waiting period was a most dangerous one for rrtost babies, because of the possibility of lung membrane disease and infection. Today there was prayerful thankfulness and a feeling of relief in the hospital run here by the Roman Catholic Sisters of the Presentation. The quints had made it — this very far distance. Announces Names Monday night, there father stood before a news conference in the. hospital cafeteria and softly announced the names he and the mother had picked. Said 38-year-old Andrew Fischer, a wholesale grocery clerk: “I want to thank the hospital staff, the doctors, the lawyers — I ask for your prayers to keep them (the quints) alive. . .We have named the babies.” Here they are, in order of their birth: Mary Ann, named for her mother, weighs about 2 pounds. Mary Magdatene, named for her father’s mother, about 2% pounds. Mary Catherine, named for Sister M. Stephen, the hospital administrator, who previously was Catherine Davis, Sioux Falls, S. D., weight 2 pounds. “Sister Stephen has been so good to us,” Fischer said: j James Andrew, named for Berbos, and the father, weighs about 3 to 4 pounds. Mary Margaret, named for Mrs. Marguerite Dorman, head nurse of the obstetrics ward. Weight, 2*4 to 3 pounds. Joel Baumgartner Dies Unexpectedly Joel N. Baumgartner, 64, farmer residing on Bluffton route 4, and a lifelong resident of Adams county, died suddenly at 7:20 p. m. Monday at the Clinic hospital in Bluffton. He had entered the hospital earlier in the evening for a routine checkup and suffered a heart attack. Born in French township Jan. 24, 1899, he was a son of Samuel F. and Elizabeth Tonner-Baumgart-ner.. He was married to Martha Tschannon May 7, 1921. Mr. Baumgartner was a member of the Apostolic Christian church. Surviving are his wife; one son, Paul N. Baumgartner of Bluffton route 4; two grandsons, Dennie and David; ’ four sisters, Mrs. Chris Drayer of Bluffton, Mrs. Henry Drayer of Decatur route 4, Mrs. Victor Sprunger of Monroe route 1, and Mrs. Henry Isch of Berne; two stepsisters and two stepbrothers. One brother and two sisters are deceased. Funeral services will be held at 1:30 p. m. Thursday at the Apostolic Christian church, the Rev. Samuel Aeschliman officiating. Burial will be in the church cemetery. Friends may call at the Goodwin funeral home in Bluffton after 7 p. m. today until 12 noon Thursday, when the body will be removed to the church to lie in state.

Decatur Stores Fall Opening Wednesday Sept. 18

Jay DeVoss Heads State Federation It was announced today that John Bottorff, president of the state Young Democrats, has appointed the interim officers for the Indiana Federation of College Young Democrats. The new interim officers are- - —— President, Jay DeVoss, of Decatur, Franklin College; administrative assistant to the president, Abe Millman, Butler; vice president, Linda Roach, Indiana State; secretary, Carole Henley, DePauw University; treasurer, Jim McDonald, Indiana Central. The regional co-ordinators will be announced later. Jay DeVoss explained that the direct purpose of these officers is to» aid in the planning of the forthcoming federation convention. The convention chairman is Dave Maxwell, Indiana University; other schools assigned to the committee are: credentials, DePauw University; registration, Frankiln; arrangements, Indiana University; publicity, Butler; resolutions, bash; constitution, Indiana University; registration, Franklin; ar-sargeant-at-Arms, Purdue University; speakers, Indiana University; rules. Indiana University extension. The possible site for the college federation convention will be Indianapolis. The date will be announced later. Three From Decatur At Cancer Meeting Three volunteers of the American Cancer society’s Adams county unit will attend the society’s state annual meeting September 18 and -19 in Indianapolis. Doyle Collier, chairman*.. Adams county unit of American Cancer society said the following would represent the county a' the two-day training and business meeting. Miss Marie Felber, Dr. Norval Rich and Mrs. Collier. The meeting, to be held at the Sever in Hotel, will begin with registration from 9 to 11:30 a.m. Wednesday and close with a dinner Thursday. In conjunction with the annual meeting, a medical symposium on “Recent developments in cancer detection” will be presented at Indiana University Medical Center. The opening luncheon session will be addressed by J. Arch Avary, Jr., of Atlanta, executive vice, president of the Trust Company of Georgia Associates. While serving as state chairman of the American Cancer society’s educational and fund-raising crusade ir Georgia, Avary discovered that he had cancer. He will speak on “Ar Investment in Time.” Following will be a series of workship sessions on public education, fund raising, patient service, and budget and finance. Resource persons from the workshops will present a panel discussion the following morning and answer questions from the audience. Panel members will include Carlton G. Ketchum of Pittsburgh, president of Ketchum, Inc., on fund-raising; John Ewing of New York, deputy director of publice education, A. C. S., on public education; Harold C. Ochsner, M. (Continued on Page Two)

ORLY DAILY NEWSPAPER IK ADAMS COUNTY

Decatur, Indiana, Tuesday, September 17, 1963.

One Man Killed, Nine Are • * J: ; . j;i- ; "■ Injured By Explosion In New Plant At Terre Haute

Asks County Pay Cost Os Levee Repair A three-man delegation representing the Weidler levee association appeared Monday at the Adams county commissioners meeting to read a prepared statement stating why, in the opinion of the association, the county should bear the whole cost of repairing the 60inch drain pipe which runs under the levee. The statement was read by Robert Long, route 2, Geneva, a member of the association. Long began, “We want to present a few facts concerning the Weidler levee association’s side of the drainage pipe issue. We don’t believe mat after understanding the facts any taxpayer could object to the county paying the entire cost of the repair.” He outlined the history of the levee and the flood problem it was designed to eliminate. The levee was built in 1946 to protect some 432 acres which were always submerged in rainy weather when the Wabash river backed up and flooded them. Besides that, more than 3,200 acres of higher ground farm land drained onto the area. Because of the flood conditions, a county road which ran between the farmland and the river was passable only three or four months of the year. , Built on Road Site The levee was built on the site of the road and a new road was | constructed on top of it. Beneath I the levee ran a large 60-inch drain | pipe and two smaller pump pipes. These pipes were installed near the site of a former county bridge. The system was designed to operate so that in light rains, when the water from the higher farmland ran onto the low acres it would drain through the large pipe and into the river. In heavy rains, when the river begins backing up, a flap-gate on the large pipe closes automatically to keep the low ground from flooding. The drainage water from the high ground is then pumped through the smaller pipes and info the river. This system made it possible to grow crops on the 430 acres where previously most crops had been lost. The levee association is composed only of those farmers who own the 430 acres which were previously flooded. The owners of the rest of the 3,200 acres in the drainage area are not members of the project, despite the fact that their land drains onto the low acres and that water must be pumped by the association’s pumps. When the levee was first built all the owners of the 430 acres were assessed for the cost of building it in proportion to the amount of the land which they owned. The county, because it owned the road, and the Pennsylvania railroad, because it has holdings in the flood area, were also assessed and paid their share of the cost of construction. The county and the railroad have also paid, with the other members, small annual maintenance assessments. Said County Benefits After reviewing the levee arrangement Long summed up the association’s arguments. “The county, after the levee was constructed, gained a good all-weather road,” he said. “During the flood of 1950 this was the only route for school buses between Geneva and points east unless they went north to county road 20 or south to state road 67. Prior to the building of the levee flood waters crossed county road 33 at four points and county road 20 at one point several times a year." Long then pointed out that since it is the large drain pipe, which’replaces a bridge and through which a county ditch drains, that has

Division Chairmen Appointed In Drive Gene Rydell, 1963 chairman o the Decatur Community Fund drive, today announced the 17 division chairmen who will spearhead this year's drive. Rydell also said that there will ' be a special meeting for these division chairmen Thursday night at 8 ■ o’clock. The meeting will be held : in the Citizens Telephone office * and plans for the drive, which for- ' mally opens October 7, will be ■ made. Four division chairmen were appointed to head collection among the retail merchants. They are Louis Jacobs, Ferris Bower. Elmer Winteregg, Jr., and Dick Mies. Kenneth Gaunt and Dick Schauss, ; chairman of last year’s Community • Fund drive, will be division chair- : men for the industry portion of . this year’s drive effort. * The other division chairmen i are: professional, Dr. H. R. Frey; ; schools, G. M. Grabill; clergy, Rev. Richard Ludwig; city offices, f Mrs. Laura Bosse; county offices, i Ed Jaberg; special gifts, H. H. i Krueckeberg; out-of-town workers, i Mrs. B. A. Townsend, Jr.; women’s ■ organizations, Mrs. Harry > Schwartz; fraternal organizations, • Frank Lybarger; special assignt ments, John Boch; hospital, Thuri jnan Drew. The budget for this year’s drive will be set at a meeting of Rydell and the drive co-chairmen, Mrs. Mabel Murray and Norman Steury. Last year’s budget was $25,510 and included the requests of the participating organizations—American Field Service, Boy Scouts, Girl | Scouts, Salvation Army, U. S. 0., | Mental Health, Youth and Com- | munity Center, Red Cross, Crippled Children, Little League and Pony League. Mrs. Luther Funk, Dies Last Evening Mrs. May Funk, 70, of one mile north of Willshire in St. Mary's township, and a lifelong resident of that township, died at 5:30 p.m. Monday at the home of he daughter, Mrs. Marvin Royer of route 2, Convoy, O. She* had been ill only a few hours. She was born at Bobo June 10. 1893, a daughter of Ezekiel and Mary Thatcher-Troutner, and was married to Luther Funk April 29, 1916. Her husband preceded her in death July 27, 1960. Mrs. Funk was a member of the Willshire ÜB. church and the Ladies Aid of the church. Surviving are one daughter, Mrs. Marvin (Helen) Royer of Convoy route 2; three sons, Arthur Funk, at home, John Funk of Decatur route 6, and Ralph Funk of Bossier City, La.; a cousin, Mrs. Margaret Clark of Decatur; four grandchildren and one great-grand-child. Funeral service will be conducted at 2 p.m. Thursday at the Willshire U.B. church, the Rev. Mark Rutledge officiating. Burial will be in the Willshire cemetery. Friends may call at the Zwick funeral home after 7 p.m. today. The body will lie in state at the church from 12 noon Thursday until time of the services. • gone bad the county should repair it. There was some discussion among the association members, the commissioners and county attorney Dave Macklin. Macklin finally told the levee association members that the best way to get the pipe repaired would be to petition the court to have the county bear the cost and let the court decide the proportion of the cost which the county should bear. The commissioners last week had expressed their agreement to the county paying about 50 or 60 per cent of the repair cost.

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (UPI)— An explosion roared through a sl6 million fertilizer plant in the final stages of construction today, killing one man and injuring at least nine others. John Sasso, 55, Clinton, identified as an employe of a New York construction firm building the huge nitrogen plant 10 miles north of the heart of Terre Haute, died in Union Hospital shortly after he was admitted . The explosion occurred in the ammonia plant of the Central Nitrogen Co., a nitrogen fertilizer producing factory being built by the Farm Bureau Cooperatives of Indiana. Illinois, lowa and Ohio. The plant was scheduled to begin operation early next month. Paul W. Marrs, attorney for the Indiana Farm Bureau Cooperative, Inc., at Indianapolis, said he understood the explosibn occurred while chemical and construction engineers employed by Chemical Construction Co. of New York, prime construction < contractors, were "testing some equipment.” Ground was broken for the plant a year ago. Separate units in the plant make the various components for the nitrogen fertilizer sold to farmers for replenishing the chemical elements in their soil to grow better crops. State police said the original blast was caused by an oil-air ignition in a large air compressor which was being operated by a plant engineer and an assistant chemical engineer. Police identified Sasso as a plant engineer. Smaller explosions were set off ir two nearby air drive conditioners. The two seriously, injured men ,wre reported to have been standing about 25 feet from the center of the explosion. A spokesman for the construction firm said Sasso, Peck, a chemical engineer, and Martin, a workman, were “running the compression pressure up to minimum test standards” when the explosion occurred. “That compression tank had previously been tested for as much as 9,000 pounds, but the gauge was only heading toward 7,800 pounds when a slight hissing began. Then the tank exploded,” he said. One of the workman treated and released for minor injuries' said Sasso was “blown right through the floor.” He said the slightly injured men were walking in a nearby hall when the accident occurred. The explosion apparently did not cause great damage to. the structure in which it occurred, although police said the walls, floor and ceiling of the room where it happened were charred and blackened. An unidentified workman said one wall and the flooring of the room collapsed. The force of the explosion jarred a residential area nearby, neighbors said. The plant is being built along U.S. 41, main highway between Evansville and Chicago. The seven men treated and re(Continued on Page Two) Air Force Academy Explained To Lions The Air Force Academy - near Denver, Colo., was explained Monday night to the Decatur Lions club. President Dick Mies was in charge of the meeting, Scoutmaster Charles Stonestreet led the pledge of allegiance to the flag, and invocation was given by the Rev. A. C. Underwood. Following Col. D. Burdette Custer’s speech, L. E. Anspaugh was appointed tail twister and gave a brief outline of his plans for fining the members during the coming year. The film “At the Ramparts” was shown by Custer, showing the supersonic Thunderbolt planes used by the Air Force. The light bulb and broom sale will be held the first Monday night in October. •

Urges Promotion Os Export Market

WASHINGTON (UPI) President Kennedy today urged American businessmen to promote export markets for their products tc help stem the flow of dollars abroad and improve domestic economic conditions at the same time. The Chief Executive spoke at the start of a special conference called by the White House and the Commerce Department to explore methods of export expansion. Members of the Cabinet, including Treasury Secretary Douglas Dillon, Labor Secretary W. Willard Wirtz, and Commerce Secretary Luther H. Hodges, together with Kennedy's chief trade negotiator, Christian A. .Herter, also spoke. “I know that all of you — and many other American businessmen—recognize the need for a more aggressive export policy and are resolved to meet it,” Kennedy said. “You recognize that, for almost any American business, life can begin anew at the ocean’s edge.” Advantage Disappears The President in his prepared remarks reminded his audience repeatedly that the competitive advantage held by the United States in export trade following World War II had disappeared under the growing economic strength of trading partners and the development of regional associations such as the Common Market. "While the productivity of our farms, the efficiency of our factories, the skill of our workers and the enterprise of our merchants stand at the highest level ir. our history, we have failed to maintain our volume of exports at a sufficiently high level,” the

Texas Coast Hit By Cindy

PORT ARTHUR, Tex. (UPI)— Howling Hurricane Cindy hit the Texas coast between Galveston and Port Arthur today, and showed signs of weakening. The eye of the storm moved through the tiny evacuated town ;of High Island between 8:10 and 840 a.m. CDT. Sixty-to-seventy-mile winds died as the eye passed and rose again as the back side of Cindy struck. No casualties were reported. This was a far cry from devastating Hurricane Carla which struck the Texas coast two years and one week ago today, killing at least 17 persons and leaving dumage in the hundreds of millions of dollars. Thousands of coastal residents had fled inland before the swiftdeveloping power of Cindy. Many men stuck to their jobs at sea. Between 5 and 10 shrimp boats rode out the storm off Galveston. Twenty-six men were battened down on an qil rig off the Louisiana coast. Another 40 were on a barge off Cameron, La. Eight men were on a tug having engine trouble off Galveston. One shrimp boat was unreported off Galveston. Tides rose almost five feet above normal. Cindy's highest winds were 80 mile gusts. Galveston recorded 74 mile-an-hour winds during the night. These dropped to 35 miles an hour. Three shrimp boats off Galveston had radioed the Coast Guard

SEVEN CENTS

President said. He pointed out that the United States once dominated world markets because her businessmen were known for aggressive pricing policies under which lower prices led to higher volume and larger profits. “The New World was a land of competitive pricing,” he said. “The Old World was the home of cartels and rigid price maintenance." Situation Reversed The situation today, however, is that exports of other nations have expanded more rapidly than U.S. exports because, as the President put It, "their businessmen have become better competitors, because European producers, unlike American producers, respond to excess capacity by reducing prices in order to maintain production rather than reducing production to maintain prices.” It is time for this country to regain “its traditional spirit of daring and ingenuity in world commerce," Kennedy said. The Chief Executive said there were a number of things government could do to help the situation such as passage of the pending tax reduction bill and continued support for the administration’s foreign aid program. BULLETIN RIGGINS, Idaho (UPI) — Seven elderly persons died when fire destroyed a rest home at the tiny community of Pinehurst 14 miles south of here this morning. Thirty other patients were helped to safety.

for aid, but none was in immediate danger. In storm - wise Galveston, 600 residents crowded into Stephen F. Austin High School and another 270 went to George Washington Carver High. Most boarded their homes. At Port Bolivar, 300 persons took shelter, 475 others went to shelters in Texas City, Hitchcock and Lamarque—towns hit hard by Hurricane Carla. Cindy had burst up in the Gulf in the space of hours and headed directly for Cameron, La., to the east, where Hurricane Audrey in June, 1957, drowned more than 500 persons. Refugees crowded the roads out of Cameron Monday "like ants,” fleeing to higher ground. Toward dawn, Cindy swung west. Torrents of rain thundered down oi. the coast. Five and 10 inches were forecast for extreme east Texas and west portions of Louisiana. INDIANA WEATHER Partly cloudy not much temperature change tonight and Wednesday. Low tonight 58 to 63. High Wednesday lower 80s. Sunset today 6:51 p.m. Sunrise Wednesday 6:29 a.m. Outlook for Thursday: Partly cloudy with chance of showers and no Important temperature changes. Lows mostly In the 60s. Highs 78 to 85. ■