Decatur Daily Democrat, Volume 62, Number 228, Decatur, Adams County, 26 September 1964 — Page 1

VOL LXII. NO. 228.

Favorable Weather Aids Firefighters In Battle On Santa Barbara Flames

Settlement Os Strike Sought

DETROIT (UPI) — General Motors hopes to resume negotiations with the United Auto Workers union Sunday or Monday in an effort to end a nationwide strike by more than 260,000 workers. UAW President Walter P. Reuther called the strike Friday when a 24-hour bargaining session failed to resolve “about half a dozen” key non-economic issues by the 10 a.m. (EST) strike deadline. Money was not° the issue. GM Personnel Vice President Louis G. Seaton said in a news conference following the strike announcement -he would contact the union by telephone today and set up new meetings “probably Sunday or Monday.” Although QM’s vast car operations were effectively shut down by the strike, some of its nearly 350,000 employes continued on the job. Reuther called the strike against 89 plants that deal strictly with “end products” and left open 41

Senate Passes Appalachia Aid

WASHINGTON (UPI) — The fate of President Johnson’s Appalachia bill rested today on the ability of his lieutenants to get friendly House members back to Washington to vote. That was the view of administration strategists following the Senate’s overwhelming vote in favor of the measure. 5 The Senate, fey a 45 to 13 margin, Friday approved the $1 billion measure. It is designed to revitalize the economically depressed 11-state mountain region. The legislation carries the LBJ brand and the President is known to be anxious that Congress pass it before adjournment, now expected around next weekciKi. Originally the House was scheduled to take up the bill Sept. 2, But pre-Labor Day abINDIANA WEATHER Scattered thunderstorms this afternoon, ending and turning cooler tonight. Sunday partly cloudy and cooler. Low tonight in the 50s north, low 60s south. High Sunday upper 60s north, low to mid 70s south. Outlook for Monday: Fair and cool.’ Benefit Horse Show Sunday Afternoon Sunday is the big day — the second annual benefit horse show sponsored by the retail division of the Decatur Chamber of Commerce. The many retail merchants handling the horse show are hoping for good weather, as a huge crowd is expected to attend the second annual show. About 200 horse enthusiasts from throughout Indiana and Ohio are expected to take part. The show begins at 12 noon Sunday, at the former race track a site in Bellmont park. Admis- . sion is just 50 cents, with children under 12 admitted free of charge. Jetart Effort The show is the result of a joint effort by many persons, and funds derived from it will be used to purchase Christmas lighting for

DECATUR DAILY DEMOCRAT

plants employing nearly 90,000 workers. Those plants turn out defense work and vital parts for other firms not involved in the GM dispute. William E. Simkin, head of the Federal Labor Mediation and Conciliation Service, said he would remain in Detroit indefinitely and make available the good offices of his department to both parties. Simkin said he planned to confer separa'ely with GM and the union as soon as negotiators have had some rest. Neither the company nor the union would speculate how long the strike might last. But both Reuther and Seaton said they hoped it could be resolved quickly. The union had prepared for a strike by building a $67 million strike fund which could last 10 weeks. Reuther said earlier if that was not enough “we’ll hock Solidarity House,” the union's modern riverfront headquarters.

sen’eeism forced a postponement. There were many opportunities since then, but House leaders never felt enough members were in town to assurethem a majority. With the Nov. 3 election drawing closer and the legislative calendar growing thinner, the temptation to stay home and campaign has increased. Democratic leaders know the vote will be close. Republicans have been attacking the iheasure for months. GOP presidential nominee Barry M. Goldwater has accused Johnson of offering it as an election-year vote-getting gimmick. House Republicans charged that the whole idea shows favortism for one area of the country, even though other sections might have equally grave economic problems. The Senate bill would authorize the federal government to spend $1.06 billion over a fiveyear period to improve roads, reclaim land, build health facilities and supplement existing development programs. Most of the money—about SB4O million—would go for highway construction. Eligible for the special .aid under the bill would be 349 counties in Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia.

the city. Several teenagers of the city are also aiding local merchants by operating the refreshment stand. In addition to those previously announced, Wynne Begun, Julie Zerkel and Carolyn Rash, will work in the stand. There are 12 classes, with ribbins and prize money to be awarded to the first five finishers in each class. The winner of the each class will receive a trophy, and there will be the presentation of a high point trophy at the end of the day. Another feature of the show will be the performance of the Mizpah Shrine horse patrol of Fort Wayne. Jim Drudge, of Michigan, will serve as judge, added, aided by an electric timer, and Kenneth Secaur, of near Decatur, win be the announcer.

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (UPI) — More than 2,000 firefighters, with favorable weather as a powerful new ally, today contained 50 per cent of the devastating 88,000-acre Santa Barbara mountain fire. A U.S. Forest Service spokesman aid, “we’ve thrown a ring of firefighters around half qf the fire’s perimeter.” He added that the battle against the 5-day-old fire in the Santa Ynez range looked "greatly improved.” Although the blaze still was considered out of control—and there was no prediction for full containment — high humidity, low cloud cover, decreased winds, lower temperatures and morning fog stalled the fury on the 60-mile perimeter of the massive fire. i “The fire really laid down during the night and now is just creeping along the fronts where it is not yet contained,” a Forest Service spokesman said. He said a blanketing fog that shrouded the lower elevations of the mountains early today “came as a blessing and really put a damper on the fire.” The damp fog spread a film of dew on the brush-covered slopes. j He added that the entire blaze now was virtually at a standstill, posing no threat to inhabited areas. The sudden weather change came Friday night as flames crept at more than a . mile an hour toward the Ojai Valley, with a population of 16,000, and the communities of Ojai » and Matilija. Summerland and, Carpinteria on the southeast flank of the fire also were threatened Friday. Many Homes Burned Seventy-eight homes officially were listed as destroyed by the two man-caused fires that linked to form one massive blaze. The total number of burned structures was more thah 100. , Although there was no forecast for a recurrence' of the Santa Ana winds, which had whipped the blaze to new fury on Tuesday and Wednesday nights, firefighters remained on the alert for a possible new flareup. California Gqv. Edmund G. Brown, who Friday declared Santa Barbara County a disaster. area; was scheduled to fly over the devastated area today. He was accompanied by EdMrs. Pauline Bleeke Dies This Morning Mrs. Pauline Bleeke, 93, of Decatur route 5, seven miles noitheast of Decatur, died at 3:30 o’clock this morning at the Adams county memorial hospital, where she had been a patient for six and one-half weeks. A lifelong resident of Union township, she was bom Oct. 4, 1870, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Gottfried Thieme, and was married to Edward C. Bleeke Oct. 3, 1889. Her husband preceded her in death July 11, 1921. Mrs. Bleeke was a member of the fcpmanuek Lutheran ,church, and was a charter member of the Ladies Aid of the church. Surviving are five sons, Herbert F. and Harold Bleeke. bnth of" Fort Wayne, Victor and Edward G. Bleeke, both of Union township, and Paul Bleeke of Decatur: two daughters, Mrs. Louts (Ella) Gerke and Mrs. Christ (Edna) Macke, both of Fort Wayne; 11 grandchildren and 23 great - grandchildren. One son, three sisters and one brother are deceased. Funeral services will be held at 2 p. m. Monday at the Zwick funeral home and at 2:30 p. m. at the Immanuel Lutheran church, with the Rev. W. C. Vetter and the Rev. F. W. DroegemueEer officiating. Burial will be in the church cemetery. Friends may can at the funeral home after 9 S. m. Sunday until time of the services.

ONLY DAILY NEWSPAPER IN ADAMS COUNTY

Decatur, Indiana, 46733, Saturday, September 26,1964.

ward A. McDermott, director of the U.S. Office of Emergency Planning, who was sent by President Johnson to inspect the scene. U.S. Sen. Pierre Salinger, D-Calif., also planned to fly over the area. Bombers Drop Water A concentrated air assault by bombers dropping hundreds of thousands of gallons of chemical fire depressants continued, today as firefighters sought to gain the upper hand while the weather was in their favor. The giant fire was approximately 20 miles long and 10 miles wide Friday when a flaming spearhead swept into adjacent Ventura County and sped to within six miles of Matilija, a community of 70 homes, and only 12 miles from the Ojai Valley resort area. ' The largest forest fire in California history began at Matilija in 1932 and charred 243,000 acres. A U.S. Forest Service spokesman said only the weather could prevent the fire f rolTl running all the way to Matilija and into the Ojai Valley. Geneva Child Is Critically Hurt Friday Seven-year-old David A. Brorein, of Geneva, is listed in very critical condition at the Parkview memorial hospital in Fort Wayne today, suffering from injuries when struck by an automobile on U. S. 27 in Geneva Friday afternoon. The youngster was rushed immediately to the Fort Wayne hospital with multiple injuries. A report from the hospital at 10:30 a.m. said the youth was very critical and not expected to live.'’ The boy is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Richard Myers, who reside at 230 Short St. He was hit by the car around 3:40 p.m., a short time after dismissal at the Geneva school, where the youngster is a first grade student. Walks Into Street According to investigating officers, sheriff Roger Singleton and state trooper Gene Rash, the youth was struck by an automobile operated by Daniel Richard Stahly, 26, a resident of Geneva, as Stahly was northbound on 27. The youngster was walking east and started into the road from the corner of the school grounds, at the intersection of state road 116. He apparently failed to see the auto, as he walked directly in the path of the vehicle. The impact threw the boy several feet and he slid on the highway for several more feet. The force tore the boy’s shoes from his feet. Stahly was unable to get stopped in time to avoid him. Patrol Gone The mishap happened about 15 or 20 minutes after school had been, dismissed, and the patrol boys had left their stations to return to their homes. There were several witnesses to the accident, most of whom were to shaken by the* sight to reveal rftany details to the officers at the scene. Sheriff Singleton said today that invesigation of the crash is continuing. There have been no charges filed against Stahly. Young Democrats To Meet Tuesday Night The Adams county Young Democrats organization has scheduled a meeting for 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, at Democrat headquarters in the Connell building across the street .from the courthouse in Decatur. Young Democrat activities for the fall campaign will be outlined at the meeting. The Young Democrats will be aiding in these activities by members of the Jefferson dub.

NOON EDITION New Kroger Store To Be Opened Sept. 30 • " Waldo Bennett will be the rr.ani. ager of the new Decatur Kroger 1 Supermarket opening September > 30 at 322 N. 2nd St., R. E. Sasseon, vice president of the Fort ■ Wayne division of the Kroger Co. • announced today. Bennett brings a great deal of grocery exper1 ience to the new store, having been with Kroger for almost 26 years. This will be the third 1 Kroger store in Decatur that he has managed, having previously run the old Kroger store by the bank from 1948 until he opened the store, whith will close this evening, in February of 1952. Lives in Willshire Since 1953, Bennett has . been the produce buyer for the Fort Wayne division. He is well known in the community and lives in Willshire, Ohio, with his wife and twin children. He has been active in community affairs, particularly in the church and has been directing the choir for sdme years. j ** Other new personnel in the store will include Alan Garner, co-man-ager, who was head produce clerk In the old Decatur store until ■ 1963. Garner was born in Decatur and presently lives at 381 ' Stevenson. The head meat cutter nt the new store will be Roger Lowry, who has been with Kroger for I’4 years. The head produce clerk wiR be Ted Heiser, who has been with Kroger for almost two years, beginnine at the Celina, Ohio, store. ; Head Checker Named Maxine Baumann, the head checker, has been with Kroger for over 14 years, and Dan Ger- . ber, the head grocery clerk, has nine years experience with the company. A new style of shelving has been installed to make all cans and packages easily accessible. Shelf and aisle displays have been so placed that the store has wide roomv aisles to handle maximum traffic with ease. Kroger shoppers will find a dairy department almost twice the siz<» of that of Kroger’s old store, with a larger variety for their needs. The new store will feature a selfservice meat department with a selection of the finest duality meats, including the exclusive Tenderay brand beef. To help those who desire snecial cuts, there will be service available. Fresh fruits and vegetable denartment is self-service comoletelv and includes refrigerated display racks which will insure all fruits and vegetables of retaining their freshness and crispness. All 1 file various items will be prepackaged at the store with weight and price shown on each individual package. Frozen food department is al- ’ most twice the size of the department in the old store with a larz--1 er selection of easy-to-prepare 1 foods available. Conveyor pxmters 1 New type conveyor checkout counters, capable of hand'ing I twice as manv customers is the older model, have been installed I in the new Kroner market. The new stands are adaptable to one, two or three nerson operation. After the packages are unloaded onto the counter, thev are moved into checkin? r»n?e bv pressure of the cashier’s foot on a pedal wh’eh sets an endless belt into motion. Normallv the setup is hand’M bv a checker and a ba<”»er; fcr peak traffic periods, a third person—called an exnediter—ioins the team. His job is to remove items from the shopping basket, and place them on the convevortj with prices in view and in the . rieht order for efficient ba?eine.| To complete the picture of shopptn? and service, there wills be a 124-car parking lot for alll Kroger customers.

Fund Sponsors Exchange Students a AFS STUDENTS— These three students, one from Decatur and two from foreign countries, have been sponsored by the local American Field Service chapter. Ann Allwein, left, represented Decatur in Norway during the summer of 1963 Leo Gavelli, center, of Florence, Italy, was the 1963-64 exchange student at Decatur Catholic high school. Sue Tresuwan, right, of Bangkok, Thailand, is attending Decatur high school this year. — (Photo by Mac Lean). _i._

The American Field Service, the agency which provides foreign exchange students for both of Decatur’s high schools, is one of the ten organizations supported by the Decatur Community fund. Its budget request for this year is $1,750, $250 less than last year. The best known function of the American Field Service, of course is the function it performs in bringing foreign exchange students from other countries to live in a Decatur home and attend one of the Decatur high schoosl. Through this, local high schoolers acquire a knowledge of foreign customs, beliefs and personalities. Nor are the benefits one-sided. The visiting students learn much about this country. The AFS system is a two-fold plan whereby no one loses exBluffton Girl Named Junior Miss Indiana Diane Sue Gregg, a Bluffton high school senior, was named Junior Miss Indiana in Bluffton Friday night as one of the features of the 54th annual Bluffton Street fair. Miss Gregg was crowned on the outdoor stage by Miss Sheila Uptgraft of Petroleum, last year’s queen, and Mrs. Nina Rittenhouse of Bluffton, the 1964 Mrs. Indiana. Miss Becky Biberstine of route 3, Bluffton, was first runner-up, and Miss Linda Gillis, of Gary, was second runner-up. Miss Linda Dunn of Bluffton was selected Miss Congeniality by the 16 girls who vied for the queen’s crown. Adams county was represented in the contest by Miss Carmie Steffen, an Adams Central senior, who won the “Miss Adams County” title among nine contestants in August.

\u i i \ Kat Jb <mi ?\ I . iil|iilffi|sk' Wf. ~ -A \ M ; M JfIHH ■ r IbKLF wB g K/H fL te;W;. Wg T "*C' *t f “* T*AFTERMATH—A group of children survey the wreckage of three Pennsylvania railroad hopper cars which were derailed late Friday afternoon, olocking the Washington street crossing and the Pennsylvania main line. — (Photo by Mac Lean)

Three Freight Cars Are Derailed Friday Three Pennsylvania railroad hopper cars were derailed and one was overturned late Friday afternoon in switching operations near the Central Soya plant. The

cept the enemies of America and the free world. There is a visitor in Decatur each school year to acquaint local students and adults with their native land, while at the same time learning valuable lessons about the American way of life. Then, during the summer, a Decatur student has the oppor tunity to perform the same type of service and to learn the same valuable lessons in a foreign country. * This year’s foreign student. Sue Trisuman of Thailand, is attending Decatur high school. Last year at Italian student, Leo Gavelli attended Decatur Catholic. The last Decatur student to go abroad as part of the AFS program was Ann Allwein, who spent the summer of 1963 in Norway. The American Field Service, founded in 1914 as a volunteer ambulance service on the battlefields of Europe, has since 1947 undertaken an international scholarship program for secondary school students in the 16 to 18 are bracket. More than 22,000 boys and girls from the United States and 65 foreign countries have taken part in the AFS program. The AFS foreign students who come to this country are all able to speak English passably well, if not fluently, and are carefully chosen for personal qualities as well as academic ability. The students come to the U. S. so rone year only and are required to return home at the end of that year. AFS deals only with the secondary school level. Its students from abroad come to attend American high schools and and private schools. On the local level, the project of bringing a foreign exchange student to Decatur was sponsored by the Rotary Club. The last Rotary sponsored student came to .3- -— —

accident blocked traffic at the Washington street crossing for several hours. Evidently one car jumped the track and the operator of the switch engine, not realizing the mishap had occurred, continued backing the string of cars until the derailed car overturned. The first car which jumped the tracks jacknifed and overturned at right

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this community in 1960. At that time the Rotary club was informed that 1960 would be the last year they could handle the project. The national committee of the American Field Service had ruled that an exchange student could not be sponsored by a single organization. The committee stipulated that the student must be sponsored by the entire community. To do his, it was necessary to obtain a local charter for an American Field Service chapter. Once this was accomplished the organization was included in the Community Fund drive budget in 1960. Local Man's Mother Dies At Evanston Mrs. Maude S. Reetz, 78, mother of Richard M. Reetz, of this city, died suddenly at 3:30 p. m. Friday at her home in Evanston, 111. She had not been ill and her death was unexpected. She was born in North Judson May 17, 1886, and formerly resided in Huntington. Her husband, Gustave T. Reetz, preceded her in death. Mrs. Reetz was a member of the Central Christen church at Huntington. Surviving are the son. the manager of the Decatur office of the Northern Indiana Public Service Co.; one daughter, Mrs. Walter (Rowena) Willey of Western Springs, 111., and two grandchildren. Funeral services will be conducted at 10 a. m. Monday at the Bailey funeral home in Huntington, with the Rev. George Florence officiating. Burial will be in Mt. Hope cemetery. Friends may call at the funeral home after 12 noon Sunday until time of the services.

angles to the tracks. . », . ( ; About 300 feet of track were torn up and the wheel. trucks were torn from the twb cars which did not overturn. The Pennsylvania main line and the Washington street crossing were blocked until equipment could be procured to clear the wreckage. .