Indianapolis Times, Volume 42, Number 278, Indianapolis, Marion County, 1 April 1931 — Page 1

f Isc/W^-WWA^

ROCKNE’S BODY TO BE HOME TONIGHT

TWO SONS ARE WITH FONERAL TRAIN PARTY Start Made for South Bend After Brief Pause at Kansas City. By United Press KANSAS CITY, Mo., April I. The funeral party of Knute Rockne paused briefly In Kansas City today and then started for South Bend, Where Notre Dame university awaited sorrowfully and reverently the last home-coming of its famous football coach. Borne on a Santa Fe train through eastern Kansas from the pasture where Rockne and seven others died Tuesday in an airplane accident, the body arrived at the Kansas City union station at 7:45 a. m. With it was a grieving party—two of Rockne’s sons, William, 14, and Knute Jr., 11; Charles Anderson, assistant coach at Notre Dame; Father Michael Mulcaire of Notre Dame, and Dr. D. M. Nigro of Kansas City, friend of the famous coach to whom fell the task of breaking the news of his death to the two boys. Reach Chicago Tonight Twenty minutes later the train departed eastward for an all-day journey across Missouri, lowa and Illinois to reach South Bend at 11:20 tonight. The next pause of the funeral party will be in Chicago tonight at 7:25. The sun was shining when the party arrived. Tuesday when Rockne came through the same station on his way to Los Angeles and hastened to catch the plane in which he died, the weather was murky and drizzling. Boys Choke Back Tears William and Knute Jr. were redeyed with weeping, but they choked back the tears and greeted with a smile boy friends from the Pembroke school here which they attended. Under the care of Dr. Nigro, the boys boarded the eastbound train, still smifing, and continued the journey. ‘ > , Father Mulcaire, vice-president of Notre Dame, reached Kansas City just before the train with Rockne’s body came in from the west. Others in the group that joined the party here and accompanied the body on its eastward journey were: Jack chevigny, assistant coach at Notre Dame; Edward Halpin. manager of the Notre Dame football team; Carl King and Howard Edwards, South Bend, friends of Rockne, and Hugh Francis, director of athletics at Pembroke school, Kansas City. Future Plans Unsettled Francis disclosed that Rockne w-as to have been a guest of honor at the school on May 8 on the occasion of the annual father and son banquet. “We don’t know what we will do till we see mother,’” William, the elder son. told friends. Mrs. Rockne is en route from Florida to South Bend. “We may not return to Pembroke again. We don't know what will happen about anything now.” Miner Seriously Hurt By Times Special LINTON, Ind., April I.—Theodore Kent, 29, father of four children, is suffering from serious injuries received while working in the Little Betty mine, scene of a disaster in January, which ended the lives of twenty-eight men. He was crushed between a car and a timber.

Knute, the ‘Rock’ of Notre Dame, Once Just a Shy Youth; Who Played a Flute

Editor - * Note—Followins is the first of a series of four stories on the life of Knute Kocfcne. BY GEORGE KIRKSEY tTnited Press Staff Correspondent CHICAGO, April l.—Knute Kenneth Rockne's span of life saw him rise from a poor immigrant boy to become football’s most dominant figure. He died at 43 dramatically snuffed out at the very summit of his career. Memory is still fresh with the achievements of the last two football teams coached by him. They were undefeated, untied national champions with a record of nineteen straight victories during 1929 and 1930. Rockne was the greatest of all football coaches, but he was even more than that. Ke was unique. He had a dynamic personality which left an indelible impression upon every person thrown in contact with him. The hundreds of boys who played under him during his •thirteen years as head coach at Notre Dame worshipped the ground he walked on. He was famed throughout the land, not alone for his football genius, but for his wit, his kindly philosophy and his vibrant personality. a a a DON MILLER, Ohio State back field coach and one of the famous "Four Horsemen,” gives a keen insight into the sort of man Rockne was when he says: “I wasn't much of a player in high school and I couldn't even make the freshman team at Notre Dame. I was discouraged and ready to quit when Rockne astonished me one day by putting me in the regular back field. And he kept me there. He had seen something in me that even

Complete Wire Reports of UNITED PRESS, The Greatest TV 7 News Service

The Indianapolis Times Clearing this afternoon, followed by fair tonight and Thursday; lowest temperature tonight about 32; somewhat wanner Thursday.

VOLUME 42—NUMBER 278

FIRST PICTURES OF AIRPLANE DISASTER

' % ' ..

BEGIN QUIZ IN AIR TRAGEDY Crash Which Took Lives of Rockne, 7 Others, May Go Unexplained. By United Press COTTONWOOD FALLS, Kan., April I.—While the body of Knute Rockne, the noted coach, was on its way to South Bend, Ind., today splinters of steel and wood on a meadow near here testified grewsomely to the wreck that brought sudden death to him and seven other persons—five passengers and the two pilots of a Transcontinental and Western Air Express airplane. An investigation into the causes of the crash was opened today by a coroner’s jury. From scant evidence available, it appeared the tragedy might be added to the unexplained disasters of the air. The famous coach, en route from Kansas City to Los Angeles when he met his death, was thrown clear of the plane when it crashed. His body was mutilated and his head partly crushed. Both of his legs were broken. Near the wreckage was found a rosary. It was believed to be Rockne's. While reports of the disaster remained vague and conflicting, the mechanics of investigation got under way. Two representatives of the department of commerce arrived. Leonard Jurden and B. M. Jacobs. When it crashed, the plane was flying about six miles off the regular air course between Kansas City and Wichita, the next stop on the Trans-Continental air line. Its altitude was about 1,000 feet. Before the crash, a broken wing dropped from the plane. Others killed were: W. B, Miller, Hartford, Conn, J. H. Happer, Chicago. C. A. Robrecht, Wheeling, W, Va. H. J. Christen, Chicago. S. Goldthwaite, New York. Robert Frye, pilot, Kansas City, Mo? Jess Mathias, co-pilot, Kansas City.

J 1 , 11 11 1 , • c, titci m [* A ' 9 W BUT still °N the JOB. I g ROCKNE DIED THE YE COLIIge: U BAND N OF COIN SENT DORAIS i f\AYJc. Hls Int LULLED band., CTETROIT AND KEPT ' VIKING FOREBEARS ROCKNE AT’NOTRE DAM&.

I didn’t know I had. I have lost one of the finest friends a man could have.” Miller’s case is only one of many. Rockne was a judge of men and he was an inspirational leader. Players battled to exhaustion for him through the hardest football schedules any team ever played. They did it for Rockne. and not because he wanted them to. That’s what they thought of him. ana ROCKNE did not choose football for his career. After he was graduated* l from Notre Dame in 1914 he accepted a place on the coac&ng staff under Jesse Harper,

M snu* ;*ss§3l&._ WK^MjT< jPil

Upper Photo—'The wreckage of the giant air liner in which Knute Rockne, famed Notre Dame coach, and seven other men lost their lives Tuesday in a crash on a farm at Bazaar, Kan. Lower—Closeup view of the weekage.

Notre Dame Bowed by Grief

(By Times Staff Correspondent) NOTRE DAME, Ind., April I. The altar fires of Notre Dame burned dimly through the dawn today, and piercing the gray, cold mist, the sorrowing chant of a low mass bid farewell to the greatest figure the campus ever knew. Three thousand students, silent with the poignant grief of youth, knelt in Sacred Heart church, where they prayed for repose of the soul

then head coach, as something to do while “looking around for a job.” He became head coach in 1918 and during his regime, his teams won 108 games, lost twelve and tied four. Five of his teams were undefeated in 1919, 1920, 1924. 1929 and 1930. His worst season was 1928 when his team lost four games. Rockne was born at Voss, Norway, March 4. 1888, son of Mr. and Mrs. Lewis Rockne. His father was a carriage maker. In 1893 the elder Rockne came to the United States to exhibit one of his carriages at the world’s fair here. His exhibit won a medal and he was so pleased with this country that he decided to

INDIANAPOLIS, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 1, 1931

cf Knute K. Rockne, who died in an airplane crash in Kansas Tuesday. Above them, in the tall steeple of the church, a giant bell, gift to the university of Napoleon 111, emporer of France, tolled its dolorous message in the skies above South Bend, over the broad campus where Rockne’s fame w r as built more than twenty years, the tones dying in

remain. Two months later his wife, son, and two daughters joined him. a a a MRS. MARTHA ROCKNE, mother of the football coach, still is living here, and today recalled her son s visit with her recently on the occasion of her 72d birthday. Even Mrs. Rockne never dreamed that her son would become an athlete, much less the peer of all football coaches. “Knute was a serious boy,” she recalled. “He loved to read. I had po idea that he would ever follow the prcession he His tastes

echoes above the neighboring convent school, St. Mary’s. There several hundred girls were suppliant before the chapel altar, praying with their quiet, gentle nuns, for the man, who was their hero as well as Notre Dame’s. The mass today was the first formal manifestation of grief. All Tuesday afternoon, when telegraphic messages confirmed the ru(Tum to Page Two)

and inclinations didn’t seem to run that way. “Am I proud of him? No, not exactly. I knew my son was a good man. And that is all any mother wants to know of her son.” The Rockne family lived in the Logan Square section of Chicago in the early days, the same neighborhood that produced Johnny Coulon, former world's bantamweight champion. a a a ROCKNE himself, so the legend goes, was a pugilist in his younger days, fighting at small clubs to help earn enough money to go to school. Rockne’s flat and some-

New Earth Shocks Peril Burning City , Leveled by Quake

Hoover Dispatches Message of Sympathy to People of Torn Region. By United Press WASHINGTON, April I.—President Hoover and Secretary of State Henry L. Stimson dispatched today to the president and officials of Nicaragua the sympathy of this government at the Managua disaster. Mr. Hoover sent the following message to President Jose Maria Moncada: “I am appalled at the catastrophe which has overwhelmed Managua, and in my own name and that of the American government and people, I xtend heartfelt sympathy to your excellency and the people of Nicaragua.” Sympathy is Dispatched Stimson’s message to Moncada follows: “I am profoundly distressed by the reports of the overwhelming disaster which has befallen Managua. Please be assured on my heartfelt sympathy.” To Julian Irias, minister for foreign affairs, Stimson radioed: ‘‘Please accept the assurance of the deep sympathy of the government and people of the United States with the government and people of Nicaragua in the disaster which has befallen them.” Dispatches telling of the swift efforts of relief agencies were sent to the White House or Mr. Hoover’s inspection as soon as received at the navy department. From the state and war departments also came constant reports. Situation In Hand In Mr, Hoover’s behalf, it was said at the White House he feels the situation is “fairly well in hand.” He believes the government is dealing with relief work promptly and adequately. A reply to Mr. Hoover’s and Stimson’s message of condolence was received from President Moncada of Nicaragua. It read: “Earthuqake centered at Managua, which has been almost destroyed. The rest of the country undamaged. Am profoundly grateful for your expressions of condolences.” Must Be Rebuilt MANAGUA, Nicaragua, April I. The city of Managua will have to bo entirely rebuilt, government officials said today after a survey of the damage done by Tuesday's earthquake. Almost all of the houses —built of adobe —were crumbled by the quake or burned. The water plant was destroyed and only a few of the most solid buildings such as the National Bank. building and the isolated presidential palace remained standing. Managua was built on a flat site, planned as an attractive city for visitors to the nation’s capital. The richest and most fashionable citizens of the republic lived there. EX-SENATE PAGE DEAD Frank B. Gorman, Later Congress Bureau Chief, Succumbs. By United Press CHICAGO, April I.—Frank B. Gorman, 60, who rose from a page in the United States senate to head of the congressional bureau in Washington in forty-six years, died in a hospital today after having been in a coma since Monday night. He was found lying in a street with his shoulder broken. It was believed he had been hit by an automobile.

what disconnected nose seemed to bear out this popular belief. He attended old Northwest Division high school, now Tuley, and worked in off hours. One of his first jobs was with the Chicago postoffice at a salary of $5 a week. He asked for a >aise and his pay was increased to $5.50 a week. That was one of the reasons why he determined to get a college education. Another of his jobs was delivering newspapers. Originally, Rockne planned to enter Illinois, but was persuaded by friends at the last minute to go to Notre Dame. He did not go to Notre Dame as a football player. His best sport was track, y which the quar- , ,jf . \ V, &

Entered as Second-Class Matter at Postoffice. Indianapolis Ind.

In Great Peril WASHINGTON, April I. The navy department was notified today by radio that conditions in Manaugua demand the evacation of American women and children. There are estimated to be about 175 American women and children in the Nicaraguan capital, which has been devastated by earthquake and fire.

STRICKEN CITY PITIFULSIGHT Flier Wires Graphic Story of Destruction Seen in Nicaragua. BY HAROLD M. FARKAS United Press Staff Corresoondent MIAMI, Fla., April I.—A graphic aerial description of the stricken city of Managua, Nicaragua, was radioed to the Pan-American Airways office here by Pilot Alan W. Olsen of the company’s Mexican division, who flew the Pan-Ameri-can Ford plane NC-9688 from San Salvador to Manuague today. The message was tapped out by the pilot as he roared high over the smoking crater of the dormant volcano, Momotombo, and as he saw the desolution spread out before him. Olsen carried relief supplies to the stricVsn city. Olsen’s message was sent out from the plane at 9:30 a. m. today and was somewhat delayed in transit. “We were passing the smoking crater of Momotombo," Olsens message said. “Details of Managua are becoming plainer as we draw closer to the stricken city. Thin ribbons of smoke rise from the few of the buildings left'standing which are partially destroyed by fire. “Where once a checkered pattern of paved streets lined by brown and white stone houses could be seen from the air, now all that is left is a jumble of broken masonry. The steel skeleton of the cathedral under construction has apparently suffered no damage, but in all directions from the cathedral to the outskirts of the city, the fourth cf the tremors has partially or wholly crumbled the majority of the buildings to the ground. “Debris is being cleared away by civilians and soldiers, and an attempt is being made to determine the number of the casualties.” Pan-American officials here, who released Olsen’s message, said they could not immediately determine his complete identification, as he regularly operates on the Mexican division of the company, and rarely if ever gets to Miami. AUTO THIEF TO FARM Sentenced to Six Months and Fined SIOO for Stealing Car. Pleading guilty to auto theft, Delmas Hill, 24, of 938 Fairview drive, was sentenced to six months on the state penal farm and fined SIOO in criminal court. He was charged with stealing an auto owned by E. J. Leman, 531 Madison avenue, Jan. 26.

ter-mile, pole-vault and broad jump were his three best events. a a a nr HE REV. CHARLES L. O’DONNELL, president of : .otre Dame, recalls Rockne as he was when he entered Notre Dame in 1910. Mr. O'Donnell was prefect of Corby Hall, where Rockne lived. “He was one of the shyest men in the dormitory,” said Mr. O’Donnell. “He was slight of build in those days and nobody couli have predicted for him his own personal success as a football player. “Indeed, he was far better known as a keen student of chqpiiatry. He

HOME

TWO CENTS

Estimate More Than 1,000 Dead; Rush Relief for Injured Hundreds. (CoDvricht. 1931. by United Press) Stricken Managua, shaken to pieces by earthquakes, suffered further today as sharp new shocks swayed the city and flames ate steadily through what remained of Nicaragua’s capital of 35,000 population. It was a city of suffering and terror. There hardly was time to care for the dead—estimated variously from several hundred to more than a thousand—as relief workers labored to help the thousands of injured and to care for the dazed and terrified survivors. Relief was on the way by ship and airplane, but there was immediate danger from the lack of water, food, shelter, medicine and sanitation. Thousands of Homeless The thousands of homeless and shelterless natives, including women and children, were herded in the safest parts Cf the city away from the fires, or in the outskirts. National guardsmen protected them from wandering into the danger zone. Men of the United States army engineer corps and marines worked heroically with the native national guard in relief work, food and shelter was needed imperatively. The city was termed “totally destroyed” in official dispatches. To an aviator flying over the city, who radioed what he saw, the steel skeleton of the new cathedral, which had been under construction, stood almost alone as the capital’s memorial. Meanwhile, the outside world, shocked by the tragedy, made almost unprecedented relief efforts. The President of the United States called on the army, navy and Red Cross to act. Central American republics tood by to aid. Aviation and communication companies, such as Tropical radio, All-America Cables and Pan-American Airways, co-op-erated with the army, navy and marine corps to keep communications open, and to rot- the most urgent medicines ani antitoxins in by plane. Rush Relief Work . Planes were taking off at fairly frequent intervals for Managua, while cruisers, transforts and hospital ships of the United States navy steamed at full speed for both coasts of Nicaragua. Conditions in Managua were sc? chaotic that the story came out only piecemeal, and mostly in official messages. There was little room on the clogged wires for long press dispatches. When the first earth shock occurred at 10:02 a. m. Tuesday the center of the city seemed to be most violently shaken and walls crumbled on all of the crowded streets. The population of the entire capital rushed Into the streets, only to be endangered or crushed by falling walls and by fires which quickly spread before a light wind. The scene of greatest casualties was believed to have been the market in the central part of the city. Fire swept the wreckage where hundreds of women were shopping at the time of the quake. Hourly Temperatures 6a. m 33 10 a. m 32 7a. m 33 II a. m 32 Ba. m..... 32 12 noon 32 9a. m 32 Ip. 34

was offered and accepted an instructorship in chemistry upon his graduation in 1914. But even in those days the versatality of hia genius was apparent. “Apart from his splendid academic record and his brilliant career as an athlete, he played in the university orchestra and was inimitably comic in student vaudeville. His humor on the stage and off was original.” Rockne played the flute in the college orchestra. In the production of “The Girl of the Golden West,” he took the part of a “squaw.” a a a T> OCKNE played end on the Notre Dame football teams of 1911, 1912 and 1913, and was captain of the team his last year. His first bid for national athletic fame came in October, 1913, when an unknown Notre Dame team traveled to West Point and defeated a powerful Army eleven, coached by Major Charles Daley, 33-13. That game was significant for more than one reason. It was the first time a mid-western team had traveled east and defeated an eastern team on its own field. It was the first big game in which the forward pass played the deciding factor. Charley Dorais’ long, accurate passes down the field to Rockne bewildered the Army team and paved the way for Notre Dame’s smashing triumphed. The Army was so impressed with the Notre Dame style of play that Rockne and Dorais were invited to remain several days at West Point and instruct the Army players in this new aerial weapon. Next—Rockne’s highlights as a player and his early coaching day^

Outside Marlon County 3 Cents