Decatur Daily Democrat, Volume 62, Number 76, Decatur, Adams County, 30 March 1964 — Page 1

VOL. LXII. NO. 76.

Fire Sunday Causes Heavy Loss At Berne

JHF QFHBEBmS THIS WAS THE SCENE in downtown Berne Sunday afternoon just a few minutes before the front wall of the dime store coHapsed. The Habit dry cleaners, the small building at left, was the only portion of the buddings shown above which was not damaged.—(Photo by Cole)

More Than $200,000 Damages In Fire At Berne Easter Sunday

By Bob Shraluka Damage was expected to exceed $200,000 as salvage crews went to work today to clear the debris that remains as evidence of the huge fire in the heart of downtown Berne Easter Sunday. The blaze, which was first reported to firemen about 25 or 20 minutes before 11 o’clock Easter Sunday morning, destroyed four apartments, two Berne stores and damaged a third store. The Berne sc-$l store was a complete loss, as were the Mennonite Book Concern, and the three apartments above the three stores. A fourth apartment, located above the Stucky department store, was a total loss, and the Stucky store suffered heavy damage from the gallons of water poured on the blaze through the

Ask Condemnation Os Land Near City

The Adams county ers authorized condemnation proceedings against Harley J. Roop, Jr., of Root township for approximately one-half acre of land on the inside of the curve on the Winchester road just three-tenths of a mile from highway 27, for the location of a new bridge. The .commissioners had visited Roop at tris home three times in attempts to reach a settlement, and faced losing federal aid for the project unless an agreement was reached, or condemnation proceedings filed. The suit guarantees that the county will obtain the land, subject to a fair price as determined by. court appointed appraisers. One-Half Acre The area in question is approximately one-half acre of low, unfarmed land, now partly flooded, that lies on the inside of the curve. The 15 acres of land is assessed at $220 for the entire plot, giving it. a real value of $660 for 15 acres, or $44 an acre, or about $22 for the area involved. The commissioners offered Roop SSOO for the half-acre, offered to deed the present roadway on the outside of what will eventually be the road, and offered to rebuild his driveway, as well as tear up the present curve, and leave the land farmable, which his present acreage isn’t. “Didn’t Think It Fair” The Roops countered by saying

The Roops countered by saying

DECATUR DAILY DEMOCRAT ONLY DAILY NEWSPAPER IN ADAMS COUNTY

afternoon and evening. The damage all occurred in the ; 100 block of W. Main street in the downtown area of Berne. In the block, from west to east, were the G. C. Moser insurance office, the Habit dry cleaners, Stucky’s department store, the five and dime, and the Menno- ' nite book store. An alley separated the book ; store from the next building cast the Kirsch Rexall drug store, , owned by Fred Kirsch of Berne, formerly of Decatur. Firemen in Church > Nearly all the Berne firemen ■ and volunteers were in church ■ when the first alarm was turned I in between 10:35 and 10:40 a. m. ■ The firemen began scurrying • from Easter Sunday services as : the alarm sounded.

that they didn’t think the offer was fair at all, hardly even a starting place for dickering, although the commissioners implied this was a final offer. After a tenminute discussion, the county attorney, highway supervisor, and two of the three commissioners returned to the car. The commissioners had explained that usually they don’t pay for right-of-way, thpt improving the road usually leaves the property more valuable than before, and that since they have been the board, they have paid for only one particle of land, which they bought from Bob Ehrman for SIOO, and it was of. greater .real value than the piece in question. Roop and his wife stated that this would make their lane too long, that they would have more side-ditch to keep mowed, that the mail box would be too far from the home, etc. Boerger Dickers Commissioner Hugo Boerger stayed and talked another ten minutes with Roop, and raised the offer to $700; Roop countered with a request for $l;000. — In discussing the matter, county attorney David A. Macklin explained that now that condemnation proceedings have started, this action negates all offers.' Therefore. all future negotiations, including the condemnation proceedings. will start from the cash value (Continued on Page Eight)

Volunteers calling into the station were informed the fire was in “the downtown area.” Since the firemen were in church at the time the alarm sounded, nearly all of them were battling the blaze throughout the afternoon in their Sunday suits, covered by the heavy rubber firemen’s jackets. Sees Smoke Mrs. Ida Schindler, who resides above and to the rear of the drug store, turned in the first alarm. Mrs. Schindler said she first noticed smoke coming from the dime store and was attempting to locate Wilbur B. Fess, 1027 Clark St., owner of the store, when she saw flames shooting from the roof, “between the dime store and the book store.” As Berne firemen began what turned out to be a long battle with the blaze, it was discovered the fire had “a good head start. Help was summoned from the area and a number of fire departments quickly sent aid to the stricken city. Some of the firemen said that when they first arrived and saw the smoke it didn't appear to be nearly as serious as it turned out later. Smoke Pouring Berne fire chief, Alfred Clauser, who, like his men and the rest of the firemen at the scene, did a tremendous job in controlling the blaze, said that when he arrived smoke was “pouring out of the two apartments located above the dime store. The smoke was quickly discovered to be hiding a huge blaze in the dime store, however, and the first hastily began to take its toll of the dime store. Help was summoned soon from Monroe and Geneva fire departments, and around 11:30 a. m. the Decatur department was contacted and rushed six men and equipment to the scene. Fire departments from Portland and Hart A d City even tended helping hands later in the afternoon, sending crews and equipment to stand iy in case of another fire. Eleven Hoses As the blaze roared out of control and spread through the block of the downtown area, a number of fire hoses began pelting the blaze with water. One Berne fireman said this morning that he counted as many as eleven hoses pumping water at one time. With flames and smoke pouring from the upstairs apartments,, the roof of the dime store soon, fell into the store. Around 12:30; the inevitable happened, the front' of the dime store collapsed.

Decatur, Indiana, 46733, Monday, March 30,1964.

Most of the front wall fortunately fell into the building, with little debris landing in the street. A large crowd had gathered by that time but no one in the crowd was injured. » . Fortunately also, none of the firemen was injured, although two narrowly escaped. One fireman was on a ladder resting on the front of the Stucky building and the walls collapsed right to the spot where his ladder was resting. Another unidentified fireman slipped in attempting to run from the falling bricks, but quickly jumped to his feet and got out of the way. Constant Streams Water was constantly being poured on the west side of the drug store building in an attempt to keep the fire from spreading to that building. e The flames were being whipped to thte east by a heavy wind, but the constant stream of water saved the newlyremodeled drug store. An Indiana & Michigan employe living in Berne brought his iadder truck to the scene and the truck was situated in the center of the street with firemen using it to throw water onto the tops of the buildings. After the walls of the dime store had collapsed, more flames were found in the store’s basement. Huge Crowd The blaze attracted a huge crowd of sightseers from the area and nearby Ohio. The crowd didn’t cause much of a problem to the firemen, however. Officers of the sheriff s departement. Berne city police and state police, aided by the sheriff's mobile reserves, kept the crowd under control and blocked off the downtown area, refusing to let autos within five or six blocks of the fire. News media from the area began flowing in later in the afternoon and one Decatur resident at the scene of the fire said he had heard a bulletin concerning the fire on a Chicago radio sta- ■ tion. Snow Hampers As the firemen worked into the afternoon trying to bring the blaze under control, the temperature began to drop and snow began to fall <in intermittent periods. ' At least two of the snowfalls were heavy' and hampered the ali ready-cold firemen. - Around 1:30, firemen were fin- ■ ally beginning to get the blaze J under control, although none of the flow of an estimated 2,000 of water a minute was g slackened. Firemen were atop g (Continued on Page Six)

% ,wMßiir *? ' • * .'v K <■■ ’ KJL jl PwBI w-- ■> 4 ™W HALF AN HOUR later, the walls of the dime store had collapsed— and the snow had begun to fall, while firemen continued toe battle with the huge blaze. Other pictures on pages 6 and 8. — (Photo by Cole) -'■•■mi

Appeal Issued To Aid Beme Victims Mrs. Wanda Oelberg, executive secretary of the local chapter of American Red Cross, issued a plea to local and county residents this morning for aid for the families who “lost everything” in Sunday’s fire in Berne. As yet, nothing definite is known as to what i the families need, or even how many persons were left homeless l by the huge, blaze. • v The David Crider family resided in the apartment above the book store, and Mr. and Mrs. Marvin Zimmerman and Mr. and' Mrs. Amos Lindsey lived in the; two apartments above the dime store. A Bernard Krall was also reported to Mrs. Oelberg to have lived in one of the apartments destroyed in the fire, but whether or not he has a family is not known. One of the homeless families was reported to have a young baby. Checking Today Claren Neuenschwander, of the Red Cross chapter, is investigating the matter Mrs. Oelberg said, and more definite details were expected to be known later this afternoon. Nothing was saved from any of the four apartments. Three of them were occupied, but it was reported that the apartment above the Stucky department store, which was also a complete loss, was vacant. Clothing, bed items, household items, etc., will all be needed. The investigation should discover what type of clothing and what sizes are needed. Asks Everyone Mrs. Oelberg has asked the full support of county residents in aiding the fire victims. Donations of clothing and other items will be accepted at the Red Cross office immediately, and more definite details turned up by the investigation will be made known to the public as soon as possible. All the four apartments were considered total losses. The one above the Stucky store was nartially left this morning, but damage was great. The Stuckv store, although the fire didn’t spread to it. is located in the downstairs portion of the building and was heavily dam(Continued on Page Six) INDIANA WEATHER Mostly cloudy tonight with chance of a little snow. Tuesday partly cloudy and continued cofa, chance of some snow flurries in the morning. Low tonight 15 to. 25. High Tuesday in the 30s. Sunset today 7:07 p.m. Sunrise Tuesday 6:31 a.m. Outlook for Wednesday: Partly cloudy with warming trend. Lows upper 20s. Highs in the 40s. BULLETIN William (China) Schumacher, well known retired Decatur man, died suddenly of a heart attack about noon today at his home, 416 South Fifth street. The body was removed to the Gillie & Doan 5 funeral home. Funeral arrangements have not been completed.

Undaunted Alaskans Begin Rebuilding Os Their Stricken Areas

ANCHORAGE, Alaska ‘ (UPI) —Pioneer-Spirited Alaskans, undaunted by still another damaging earthquake, today began rebuilding shattered towns and cities, searched for more victims of Friday’s quake and braced for more shocks to come. Martial law was declared in paralyzed Kodiak. National Guardsmen turned out with bayonet-tipped rifles to prevent looting in several towns. f At least 63 persons were known dead with the possibility that scores of Aleut natives may have been killed. Federal authorities after aerial surveys and on-the-scene checks said the total of known dead and missing in Alaska numbered 88. Another 10' persons were dead and 15 missing in Crescent City, Calif., battered by four tidal waves from the Good Friday quake. Three children were missing, one dead, from a family trapped by a wave at DeLocal Man’s Mother Is Taken By Death Mrs. Bernadine Wendel, 64, of St. Anthony, 0., mother of Elmer Wendel of Decatur, died at 1:45 p. m. Sunday at the Jay county hospital in Portland. Death was attributed to complications _ following surgery. She had been ill three weeks. * She was born in St. Peter, 0., Feb. 6, 1900, a daughter of John and Mary Brunswick-Post, and was married to John Wendel April 15, 1920. ” Mrs. Wendel was a member of the St. Anthony Catholic church, the Altar sodality, Church Mothers sodality, Daughters of Isabelle. and Catholic Order of Foresters. Survivors are her husband; five sons, Elmer Wendel of Decatur, Melvin and Urban Wendel, both of St. Anthony, Louis Wendel of Sharpsburg, 0.. and Orval Wendel of Portland: one daughter, Mrs. Victor (Mary Ann) May of Trinity, Ind.; her mother.and stepfather, Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Schoenlein of Coldwater, O.; three brothers, Tony arid Alloy Post, both of St. Peter, and Albert Post of Coldwater, O.; two half-brothers, Eugene and Virgil Schoenlein, both of St. Peter; and one sister, Mrs. Leo Wendel of St. Peter, and 25 grandchildren. Two sons are deceased. Funeral services will be held at 9:30 a. m. Wednesday at the St. Anthony Catholic church, with the Rev” Albert Gerhartstein officiating. Burial will be in the church cemetery. Friends may ' call at the Brockman funeral home in Fort Recovery, 0., after 7 p. m. today until time of the services. V ; • . .V— ; • - •

poe Bay, Ore. A roiling, shuddering quake almost as severe as Good Friday’s killer tremor struck late Sunday in the extreme souttiwest of the foggy, remote Aleutian Islands. Amateur radio reports from an unidentified military base at the tip of the islands reported widespread damage to the base. Radio towers toppled and an airport runway crumbled. But initial reports said there were no known casualties. The Alaskan Military Command warned residents of the 49th state they could expect aftershock tremors for another week. ; — As technicians and mechanics arrived to restore services, rescue units and medical teams fanned out through the 900-mile coastal arc ripped by more than 10 million times the force of ah atomic bomb to minister to the injured and prevent typhoid epidemics. Food kitchens fed the homeless and even bowling alleys were turned into hotels to shelter them from the 18-degree cold. There were 2,000 homeless in Anchorage alone. Tremendous Economic Impact Damage estimates ranged from SSOO million by Edward McDermott, director of President Johnson’s Office of Emergency Planning, to more than SBSO million by state authorities. Damage to office buildings alonge in Anchorage was in the tens of millions of dollars. The quake caused “a tremendous economic impact .. . many will never recover,” said state Commerce Commissioner Abe Romick. The Alaskan economy had been shaky even before the quake. Kodiak and Seward appeared to have been hardest hit by the wrenching upheaval. Planes flew 50 Seabees from Point Mugu, Calif., to Kodiak, joining 102 sent there Sunday. A tidal wave hurled fishing boats into the heart of towns on Kodiak Island. Entire coastal villages were smashed. A helicopter pilot reported sighting seven bodies floating offshore. Officials said it would be weeks, possibly months, before the full number of casualties was known and’ the damages completely determined. New Quake Strikes A fresh quake Sunday night struck near sparsely settled Unimak Island at the extreme southwest of the remote and foggy Aleutian Islands. It registered at almost 7 on the Richter quake scale — compared with 8.5 on the scale for the Friday tremor. Officials said they doubted any new danger from tidal waves. Technically, such waves are seismic, not caused by tides, despite the commonly ac-

EVEN CENTS

cepted description of them. Hundreds of tons of goods, supplies, tools, electrical generators and. medical supplies, including wgter- purification tablets, were being * sftwtteg: tato Elmendorf Air Force) Bake at battered Anchorage. Clark Haugh Dies Saturday Afternoon Clark Flaugh Clark W. Flaugh, 68, of 117 South Fourth street, well known Decatur resident, died at 12:45 p. m. Saturday at the Adams county memorial hospital, where he had been critically ill for a week. Mr. Flaugh had been owner and operator of the Decatur Oil Co. for 24 years, and was also employed at the General Electric Co. for 30 years until his retirement in 1960. Born in Allen county Aug. 2. 1895, he was a son of Michael and Mary Musser-Flaugh, and was married to Mary E. Lamkin Jan. 12, 1921. Mr. Flaugh was a member of the Zion United Church of Christ, Adams Post 43, American Legion, and the Loyal Order of Moose. Surviving are his wife; two daughters, Mrs. Don (Grace) Baumgartner of Lansdale, Pa., and Mrs. Herman (Dorothy) Jasper of Aiea, Hawaii; six grandchildren, and two brothers, John Flaugh of New Haven, and Russell Flaugh of Fort Wayne. Two brothers and three sisters are deceased. Funeral services will be conducted at 2 p. m. Wednesday at the Zion United Church of Christ, with the Rev. William C. Feller and the Rev. Kenneth Angle officiating. Burial will be in the Decatur cemetery, with military rite? by the American Legion at graveside. The body was removed to the Winteregg-Linn funeral home, where friends may call after 7 p. m. today. The body will lie in state at the church from 12 noon Wednesday until time of the services. The Moose lodge will hold memorial services at 7:30 ’ p. m. Tuesday.