Decatur Daily Democrat, Volume 62, Number 152, Decatur, Adams County, 27 June 1964 — Page 1

VOL LXII. NO. 152.

Teacher In Africa Studies Citizens Telephone Methods MI Eg ■ < m»HHHTnr r „ f .^Wi' i> vWW I 101 ' V JWWMBBb \abSl Hi AND IT GOES LIKE THIS — Philip Ngen of West Cameroon. Africa, a visitor to the Citizens Telephone company this week, listens attentively as Dick Des Jean explains a circuit-testing board. — (Photo by Mac Lean)

By Michael Thoele Philip Ngen is of medium height, slender build. He talks softly and expressively, seems modestly and unassumingly selfconfident. A native of West Cameroon and a student in this country for more than a year, he has spent the last three days in Deactur, observing the operations of the Citizens Telephone company to help prepare him for returning to his job as a teacher of power and electricity in his country's largest techincal school. Having recently completed his school work at the William Hood Dunwoody Industrial Institue in Minneapolis, he is now touring the country viewing various communications and industrial installations. His tour will continue until August 8, when he is scheduled to participate in a communications seminar in Washington. Before coming to Decatur he visited the Westinghouse company and Indiana Bell Telephone installations in Indianapolis. After leaving here he will visit a Wisconsin electrical motor manufacturing company and the World’s Fair. After participating in the communications seminar in Washington, he will spend another six months undergoing further training in this country. Country’s Problems Twenty-five-year-old Philip speaks with much insight on the problems of his country. “Our Communications systems are in their infancy,” he says. “We’ve had the telephone for a long time, but only lately has it come to be widely used, especially by the natives. All the electrical communications — telephone, telegraph, radio, television —are owned by the government. The only private systems are a few which the government permits on large plantations.” The government of Philip’s country is democratic. The country is made up of two regions —east and west —each with its own legislature and prime minister to handle regional matters. The headquarters of the federal legislature and the president are located in the capital city of Yaounde. * During his visit with the local telephone company Philip had ample opportunity to view their

1 Jr 'fflT ;-> nt L 1 11 * s -'*W FX IS* RTf rli r V 11 IB ’ • ■JI I CONCENT** A TED STUDY — Philip Ngen, visitor from West Cameroon, Africa, and Larry Ehinger study the details of a bank of electrical relays at the Citizens Telephone company.—(Photo by Mac Lean) V. . -'' > -■' q ' _. - "" ■ . ,■, ■■ .'„ ■ . .» • —. *■ • • 4 . • - ' •■•'; , ■- V ■ . 9 _•

DECATUR DAILY DEMOCRAT

equipment in the several locations which they have in this area. Besides inspecting the Decatur office, he visited the company’s installations in Monroe and Preble. During every step of his tour, company employes explained the function of the telephone equipment and answered his many questions. Six-year School The school where Philip teaches offer a six-year program which combines a high school and junior college. Several peace corps volunteers are teachers at the school and Philip is quite aware and appreciative of the corps’ efforts in his country. In fact, one of the volunteers is present?. }y handling Philip’s duties pt the school, making it possible for him to study in this country. “The peace corps is well-re-ceived in my country,” he says, “It has done much to change attitudes about America. The problem is that not everyone comes in contact with the peace

Supt. Grabill Is Stricken Friday Gail M. Grabill, North Adams superintendent of schools, is hospitalized at St. Joseph’s hospital in Fort Wayne following a kidney stone attack, and may have to undergo surgery, it was learned this morning. If so, it is possible that Grabill will not be-able to be present for the final state hearing July 1, on the proposed 75 cent, 12-year building fund proposed for North Adams. The fund has been proposed to modernize the Monmouth school, convert the Decatur high school building into a junior high building, and to build a new threeyear high school during the next decade, as well as add necessary grade school rooms throughout the North Adams area, to keep up with the population explosion. Grabill took ill early Friday morning, and was taken first to the Adams county memorial hospital, and then transferred to the St. Joseph’s hospital in Fort Waype.

corps people and so they are not all aware of their efforts.” Because school facilities are limited in his country, much work is demanded of students who wish to carry on their education. The school where Philip teaches is capable of handling only about 400 students and its standards are very high. . - Schooling Difficult t “Our high school systems are much more stringent and involved than in this country,” Philip said. “There are no compulsery education laws in my country. Students must work hard to maintain their grades. Those who do not are dropped. “At the end of the four-year high school course, students take cumulative exams. These exams are given on a nationwide basis. The students must - pass these examinations to receive their graduation certificate. The certificate is very important. Even though a student has been through four years of school he cannot accomplish much without it.” - ■ After hjgh school the most brilliant students gre permitted to tacklp the two years of junior college work which the school offers. .. The school itself is, for the most part, technically qpiented. Students begin taking technical courses from their first year. Because the country is bi-lingual —French and English?—so is the school. Though most Os the classes are given in English; students take courses in both languages. Philip said that mhiiy of the teachers from the Etiglishspeaking section of the country are also taking the French courses offered at the school. Philip himself studied' electrical technology in Nigeria for four years. After he began teaching and before he came tp the United States he completed a number of correspondence courses. He o taught about two years before coming to this country. Philip has thoroughly- enjoyed his stay in America. He was especially fond of American music, but found American sports mystifying. “You can’t appreciate any sport» until you know it,” he said. “Your football I do not understand and, besides, it would take' my whole life for anyone to convince me there’s anything better than soccer.”

ONLY DAILY NEWSPAPER IN ADAMS COUNTY

Decatur, Indiana, 46733, Saturday, June 27, 1964.

Two American Airmen Die As Communist Guns Down , ■ r . . . Helicopter In Viet Nam

Primary Vote Cost $1.20 Per Ballot The cosi of each ballot in Adams county’s May 5 primary election was slightly more than 31.20. This figure is reached by dividing the total cost of the election, $6,439.61, by the total number of votes cast, 5,350. Primary elections are always expensive and this year’s, from a per-ballot standpoint, was particularly so because only 45 percent of Adams county’s registered voters turned out at the polls May 5. Accounting for the bulk of the expense was the cost of operating the 36 polling places in the county and paying and feeding the inspector, judges, clerks and sheriffs who staffed each one. The cost at each polling place | was $129 where it was necessary - to rent a private building, and' $lO9 where a rent-free public building could be used. The cost per polling place was divided as follows: Inspector .$32 Judge — 12 Judge - —. 12 Clerk 12 Clerk 12 Sheriff 9 Sheriff . 9 Meals ....... 21 ■<* $lO9 In polling places outside of Decatur, ' most of the workers carried their own meals and were paid three dollars per meal for supplying them. Meals for the Decatur polling places were purchased from the Pioneer restaurant. The largest single expense was $1,113.60, paid to the Haywood Publishing company, for election supplies. ♦ Election and canvassing board members Jeanne Kortenber and Earl Fuhrman each received $187.50 for their services. Canvassing board members Mel Kohler and Ray Ehrsam were paid sls, as were Galen Sprunger and Edith Beer, who" did clerical work for the board. George Bair received $14.50 for voter registration services. Other expenses included $9.79 for food for the canvassing board and $6.72 travel expense.

NOON EDITION

Stolen Automobile Recovered Friday A 1964 automobile stolen in this city Thursday night, was recovered by the city police Friday afternoon with the aid of an alert Decatur lady. The auto, owned by John W. McMillen, routq 6, Decatur, had been stolen from the Schafer parking lot Thursday •, evening. At 4:27-p.m. Friday, Mrs Glen S. Bowman, of 12T-S. 15th St., con-, tacted the police department, explaining that she thought ■ the stolen auto was near her home. —Upon" investigating, the police discovered the car on 14th street, just north of Adams street. Hie was not damaged in any way, and was in running condition. It even had a quarter-tank of gas remaining.' Apparently the thief stole the auto Thursday evening for a ‘ joy” ride. McMillen’s son, Robert, had parked'it in the Schafer lot at 7:45 p.m. Thursday arid discovered, it stolen when he returned at 8:20 p.m. A, neighbor of the area where the car was found told police that she had seen the auto parked on 14th street when she returned home at 10 o'clock Thursday night. * The McMillens picked up the car a short time after it was foiihd Friday, and drove it home. The only thing that was missing was a pair of woman’s gloves.

| Youths To Complete | Jail Terms Sunday Eight Adams county youths are anxiously awaiting thte 4 o’clock hour Sunday afternoon, as that is the time they will complete jail sentences of 10 days recently given them in the county juvenile court. *4' Eight of the 11 yotfths sentenced Thursday, July 18, by juvenile Judge Myles F? Parrish, in an attempt to curb the rising amount of juvenile delinquency in this county, will complete their sentences Sunday. — Judge Parrish sentenced, a week ago last Thursday, 11 boys ranging 4n age from 13 to 17, to terms in the county jail. Seven of the youngsters reside in Decatur, two on Decatur rural routes, one near Monroe and another in Geneva. ’ . Two of the Decatur boys and the Geneva youth were each sentenced to three days, and were released at 4 o’clock last Sunday afternoon. The other eight had ten days to serve, and will be released at 4 o’clock Sunday afternoon. At first, the youths were quite rowdy when placed in the jail, but after the first day or two, indst of them have settled down and appear quite ready to return to their homes. INDIANA WEATHER Fair and continued hot to- « day and Sunday. Low tonight 65 to 73. High Sunday mostly in the 90s. Outlook for Monday: Little change expected with continued hot temperatures. ' —

Helicopter Rides At Sidewalk Sale “Ever ridden in a helicopter? If not, your chance is coming as the annual Sidewalk Sal^ 5 nears.” General chairman George Litchfield and publicity chairman Ferris Bower announced this morning that a helicopter will be stationed near the downtown area through the day-long festivities. Russ Moore, a resident of Fort Wayne, will bring his whirlybird to this city Sidewalk Sale day, Wednesday, July 15, and will be available for anyone wishing to take a “short hop” in the helicopter. Rides will be $5 per person, per trip, Litchfield said, Xand the “chopper” will be in the city throughout the day. Tentative Site Tentatively, the area across from the Youth _andCommunity, Center has been established as the site where the helicopter will be located. Moore received his helicopter early in April of this year, and at the time, it was believed that he. was the only Fort Wayne resident licensed to fly the ’copter, as well as' possessing the first and only one in the city. Moore is a scuba diving enthusiast, and recently decided" to buy the helicopter to look for new lakes suitable for diving. His ability to fly the ’copter, and his knowledge of the whirly bird, will be made available to anyone wishing or wanting to know more about the flying machine. Biggest Yet Apparently chairman, Litchfield’s statement a few weeks ago that this year’s Sidewalw Sale was going to be “the biggest and best yet" was true. In addition to the helicopter rides, the Sidewalk festivities will include the “Miss Soaring Thirties” contest; an exhibition of sky-diving, singing by talented entertainers, and many more yet to be announced. , And, of course, the local mer« chants will have numerous bargains for sale as they display their goods from the sidewalks through the city.

SAIGON (UPI)Two American fliers and a Vietnamese observer were killed Friday when Communist gunfire brought down their armed helicopter during a battle that still raged early today, U. S. military spokesmen reported. . Two U. S. soldiers manning the helicopter’s machine guns were injured in the crash, one seriously. They were flown to Saigon’s U. S. Navy Hospital. The fighting, which began Friday, cost 17 other lives in government ranks in addition to the fliers, according to Vietnamese officials. Communist ‘casualties were far greater, with 40 Reds killed so far in the battle 70 mites south of Saigon, the spokesman said. The helicopter in which the Americans died was shot down from the ground while flying a rocket and strafing mission in support of a big government, offensive. Earlier in the battle, Communist rebels shot down an armed T2B training plane but the American pilot and Vietnamese co-pilot parachuted to safety, a military spokesman said. Two battalions of Rangers drove the Reds from entrenched positions Friday at Long Hoi and two' Ranger companies were airdropped into rebel rear positions to block the Communist retreat. Fighting was still under way this morning when newsmen flew over the battle area. Half a dozen dead guerrillas were seen lying in foxholes. Two other American pilots, flying L-19 observation planes, were killed in separate crashes earlier this week. The helicopter victims increased the U.S. death toll in Viet Nam’s war against the Communist to 237, including 146 men killed in combat.

Sift Debris At Site Os Blast Fatal To Six BUSHKILL, Pa. (UPD-Gov-ernment and police < investigators sifted a debrisstrewn Pocono Mountains site today for clues to a fire which triggered a devastating blast in a disabled tractor-trailer loaded with 15 tons of explosives. Six persons were killed and 10 others seriously injured in the pre-dawn explosion. Damage to fire equipment, a nearby snake farm and other buildings, some seven miles away, was estimated at $250,000 by police. Many of the 160 reptiles at the farm were killed by the blast. Others were shot by roving police squads so rescue work could proceed. • Robert Heid, 33, of the Marshalls Creek Volunteer Fire Co. remained in critical condition today at Monroe County General Hospital in nearby East Stroudsburg. Richard MacDonough, 40, assistant fire chief of the company, was listed in satisfactory condition. Firemen Killed Three of the dead were members of their company summoned to the scene by a telephoned alarm at 3:45 a.m. Authorities sought to trace the caller. The firemen were killed when the blast went off as they hooked hoses on hydrants. Investigators hoped to talk to MacDonough and Heid „to fix the cause of the mysterious fire, of which A. J. Koda, 51, Port Carbon, N. Y., driver of the rig,° said he had no knowledge. Koda said he parked the vehicle along Rt. 209. in this resort area, when the double right-rear tires blew out., He said he took a half-hour nap and then unhitched the tractor to go to a gasoline station four miles away to report his tire trouble. He said there was no (Continued cm Page Three)

County Plat Books Are Being Updated

“Who’s the quiet man with a mustache in the county auditor’s office? “That’s a question we’ve heard quite a few times this year, and will probably hear more about in the future.” The man in question is Frank Blackburn, a registered engineer from Fort Wayne. Blackbum has been hired by the county commissioners to bring the maps in the plat books of the county up to date. Before World War 11, the WPA brought all plat books up to date, but nothing much has been done, with the maps since that time. What is a plat book? The plat ‘" books shows each piece of land, section by section, through all 336 square miles in Adams county. It shows who owns each piece. Every time a piece of land is sold, it is recorded in the county recorder's office. But the county asseSor, county treasurer and county auditor must also know about the sale, so that the tax records can be kept current. “You wouldn’t want to continue paying taxes on a piece of land after selling it, would you?” The pint book not only, records the sale of bo much land to so-and-so. but also includes a handy section map, quite large, which shows just exactly where the piece is located, and who owns it. During the past 25 years, numerous little pieces of land, an acre or two, have changed hands. Whole farms have been broken up and even subdivided. While this has been accurately recorded in writing, it was not shown on the easily read and understood plat book map. So it was necessary for the county to hire a qualified engineer to bring the book up to date. Blackburn has been working on the project all spring, and has completed Union township, and most of Root. He has ten more to go. Working when he can, he has put in about six hours a day, but hasn’t' been able to

Bob Kennedy Ends Trip To Germany •' * ♦

HEIDELBERG, Germany (UPI) — Atty. Gen. Robert F. Kennedy flew to Heidelberg today on the last stage of a sentimental journey retracing the late President Kennedy’s triumphant 1963 visit to Germany. Kennedy arrived by Army helicopter from Frankfurt after flying from Berlin, where he unveiled a plaque dedicated to his brother on the first anniversary of the late President’s visit. The attorney general was’ to fly on to Poland this afternoon. More than 1,000 spectators at the U. S. Army airfield here burst into applause and Cheers when Kennedy landed at 5:15 a.m. EDT. He was speaking to students at Heidelberg’s Venerable University and touring U. S. Army European hesftiquarters. About 500 Germans turned out to say good - bye to Kennedy early today when he laid a of red and white carnations at the airlift memorial" in the last formal act of his stay in Berlin. His West German tour conjured up poignant memories of the late President Kennedy’s visit to this country last year, during which he heartened a million Germans by declaring, “I am a Berliner.” Half a million West Berliners turned out Friday to hear the attorney general declare that “a new President leads our land, but our course is unchanged.” r

SEVEN CENTS

work every day; this past week, he worked only two days. He is paid at the regular rate, $4 an hour, for this type of exacting work. At the present rate, it will take the remainder of the year to complete the maps. However, it is painstaking work to read every jot and title of the , legal language to be certain of the location of the many, many small parcels of land sold. It means redrawing 336 maps, a major chore, and checking each for accuracy. ’ The county commissioners have appropriated $3,500 to pay for this so far (it was far cheaper under the old WPA, but who wants to bring back unemployment?) This should cover them until the county council is called in again next fall. Meanwhile, the quiet man with the mustache will be moving silently in die halls of the courthouse. bringing up die old question, “Who is he?” (Sealing Os Two Streets Finished The sealing of Seventh street. beta eta Nuttman avenue and Dayton, and Park street, between Third and Fifth streets, has been completed, city street commissioner Bernard J. Clark announced today. The streets were completely torn up this past month, and reconstructed. They will now be allowed to settle for a year or two before final paving. If the street were to be paved immediately, Clark explained, it would settle and ruin the street within a short time. On the other hand, it would be a great inconvenience if the street were left unpaved for a year or two. so it has been sealed with blacktop and gravel, which gives it a appearance, with little dust.

In Poland, Kennedy plans to attend the celebration erf the 600th anniversary erf the University of Cracow hnd meet Polish officials. There were no plans for him to meet Polish Communist boss Wladyslaw Gomulka or his current guest, Yugoslav President Tito. ~ No Definite Word On City Reservoir Acting mayor Chamler Deßolt said Friday afternoon that an announcement concerning the land north of Decatur is expected at the city council's next regular meeting, Tuesday, July 7. Deßolt is the city’s acting mayor, effective Friday, through July 14, while Mayor Carl D. Gerber is' vacationing. The acting mayor said that there was no definite information concerning the land on which the city has an option to buy to be released at this time, but that something should be released at the next council meeting. The option by the city to buy the’ land, owned by Harry Dailey for a ’proposed water reservoir, was recently extended to July 1. No information has been released as yet concerning the first check of the desirability of the land for a reservoir by soil engineers, and whether any’Birther tests have been made or are anticipated.