Indianapolis Times, Indianapolis, Marion County, 5 March 1943 — Page 17

/ i 3

Hoosier Vagabond

¥ (This. dispalihi vas. written before the turn of a Ametioan troops: have shnise ‘Feoaptured. Shetia.) .

“THE TUNISIAN FRONT (By Wireless, Delayed). ~The withdrawal of our American forces from the vast Sheitla valley, back through Kasserine pass, was a ‘majestic thing in a’ way. . 6 had no earmarks of a retreat whatever, it was carried out so calmly and mei thodically. It differed in no way,

except size, from the normal daily

convoys of troops and supplies. I left Sbeitla in the middle of it, and, since I was not required to keep line, I could go forward and back to get a good view of ‘the entire movement. . Our planes were in the air almost constantly that day. So far as I have heard, the A not do a single road2 ob on our withdrawing soli, Why they didn’t try fs still a mystery tome. If you had been an Arab, standing beside the road,

our great brown vehicles. would have rumbled past

you—one about every 30 seconds—for 24 hours. The whole thing was completely motorized. Nobody was

It was hard to realize, when you were part of it, that this was a retreat—that American forces in large numbers were retreating in foreign battle one of the few times in dur history.

Airfield Facilities’ Underground

WE COULDN'T HELP feel a slight sense of humili-

en. Yet, while it was happening, that humiliation

was somewhat overcome by our pride in the orderli-

~ ness and accomplishment.

It simply could not have been done better, The withdrawal from Feriana and Thelepte air-

By Ernie Pole] |

drome was separate, and smaller than ours. Ame munition dumps were set off, and all gasoline that [ could not be moved was set ablaze. Planes that took off that morning on dawn mis-| sions did not return to the field but landed elsewhere. All planes that could not get off the ground, because of minor damage or needed repair, were burned. There never was built: above ground at Thelepte, because the field had to take too much bombing. Everything was underground—offices, sleeping quarters, and the rest.

One officer, just as he left, tacked on his dugout}

door a big newspaper map of the Jatest Russian line, so the Germans could see it,

French Hold Up Traffic

THERE WERE FRENCH civilian refugees on our road. Most of them walked, carrying brown suitcases. I noticed they did not carry much, so they apparently had faith in our coming back. French artillery and infantry also were withdrawing. They hindered. traffic. We well ‘knew the French were the best fighters in: the world. But this delaying stream of high-wheeled carts, toiling along so last-century-like, seemed symbolic of France's Whole disaster. The big fine French hospital just outside Kasserine was evacuated too, and the French supervisor gave away everything he had to American soldiers.

I chatted with one soldier—Sergt. Donald Schia-|

vone, Brooklyn—who had just been given an alarm clock; silver letter opener, a basket of eggs, three dozen olives, a bottle of peach brandy. A truckful of soldiers passed as we were talking. Seeing the bottle, they began yelling at Schiavone, who apparently had no hoardei’s blood in his veins, He ran after the truck and gave his bottle to the other soldiers. That little everyday episode is an example of how unflustered, how unretreatlike, our retreat was.

Inside Indianapolis By Lowell Nussbaum

W. R. RICHARDSON of Indiana Bell reports looking out his window ahd seeing a fire truck passing: with a fireman on the front seat eating what appeared to be an ice cream cone. And the mercury down in the fear zone. . . . One of our agents reports being in Scotten’s cafeteria on: College ave, and seeing an un- - identified man eat one full meal,’ then go back: and get another just as big. Must be stocking up in advance of meat rationing. . .. Lloyd 8. Henderson, vice president of the Commonwealth Loan Co, almost invariably starts the day off by stopping in a drug store en route to the office and drinking a Coca-Cola—or cola substitute. He's done it for 20 years or 80. . « » When the surprise dimout was announced recently, lots of folks tried to find

out what time it was to be held. We've just learned

about one woman who called C city civilian defense director, an

1 Winter, assistant begged him to tell

‘her the time. Said she was having a bridge party,

and if she knew what time the), dimout was to be held, she could arrange to serve waffles. Otherwise,

to be on the safe side, she’d have ito serve cold cuts.

Not a Point Left a

ONE OF OUR South Side readers who asked us not to use her name thinks she has the canned food points business solved. She sat down and figured’ out. what her family of four normally would use in ‘a month in the way of canned goods. Then she got: out the points chart, juggled things a bit, and made out a shopping list that took all her 192 points for the month. Just in case it might help someone else budget their points, here’s her list: Three cans tomato soup, two cans hominy, two cans tomatoes, and

_ a can each of cream style corn, small June peas, spin-

ach, apricots, applesauce, pineapple, pears, fruit cocktail and blackberries, and a pound of navy beans. Most of the cans were of the 1 pound 4 ounces size. The total bill at an independent grocery, she said, was $258. . . . And Walter O. Lewis, the lawyer, thinks he has the bread slicing problem solved. Walt

' Washington

WASHINGTON, March 5.—Somebody had the awkwardness or bad taste, if nothing more, to mark off the end of President Roosevelt's decade ‘in office by bringing up the subject of a fourth term in connection with a visit of Democratic politicians to the White House. : One can't make out exactly what happened. Apparently the ‘Democratic politicians: did . some kidding aboflt a fourth term when they saw the president on the eve of his 10th anniversary in office. The chairman of the Democratic national committee, Frank C. Walker, was along and he said that although the fourth term was mentioned, it was not a serious : presentation and that it brought 2 no response from the president. ‘Mr. Walker said he did not know whether President Roosevelt heard the remarks, and it he did; he smiled them off. That, at any rate, is the wp the affair was re-

ported by the White House correspondents, who are

“usually pretty accurate about such things. Then

Chairman Walker made the comment that this is no time to discuss a candidate for 1944. That is the redeeming remark about the whole business, and it is to be hoped that Mr. Walker was not merely trynig to hedge against the trial balloon ‘that he had permitted to go up from his own little group. : No Question for Ballyhoo : JUDG MENT CAN well be reserved about a fourth term. © Conditions next year may make it desirable ‘that President Roosevelt continue in office beyond the end of his present term, But anni “of 10 years in office. The very possibility

y Day

WASHINGTON, Thursday. —Yesterday -afternoon ° 1 went to see the first government workers’ club, which

has been established in Mrs, Evelyn Walsh McLean's garage. It is really extraordinary how they have Sdapied. apd: decerated ths room. It is an excellent Sf place for dancing. Yesterday they had a shower for the kitchen, and I think they “will probably have everything they need to serve refreshments in the future. They hope to be able to do over the secoad floor into a reading room and game room,

t is not a question to be ballyhooed on the

ran across one of those saws you buy at the dime store for kids—the kind without any set to the teeth—and tried it. He says it worked fine, almost as good as the best bread knife.

A Dollar ‘Stake’

THE RED CROSS blood donor center has a rule against accepting blood from persons weighing under 110 pounds. They received a note and a dollar bill the other day from Marjorie M. Warren, 1940 N. Delaware. The note said that since she'd been rejected because she weighs less than 110, she was seriding the Red Cross the dollar she would have spent for “the steak I would have eaten after giving blood.” . . . Rex Morrell is the winner of a war production slogan contest conducted at the E. C. Atkins plant. He received a $50 war bond for the slogan: “Production is the workers’ weapon.” There were 500. entries in the contest. . . . Col. Drysdale, scheduled to leave Ft. Harrison soon, says he has no idea “where or when” his next assignment is to be. Any rumors we hear ahout his destination, he adds, are just that—mere rumors.

Museum Piece Itself

WHEN THEY discovered: that the only encyclo pedia in the Children’s museum was dated 1890, the kids the junior board decided to get busy and do some g. So now they are busy digging up brainteasing questions to submit to the Information Please radio program. And if the questions stump the pro-

_.gram’s .board of strategy, the museum's encyclopedia

problems will be solved. . . . This jury business really has folks at the Fletcher Trust Co. puzzled now. We've told you previously about 14 leading members of the bank’s personnel, or their wives, getting jury summonses. Included were the wives of four vice presidents. Now some more summonses have been served. They include H. Foster Clippinger and Robert F. Scott Jr., both vice presidents and both of whose wives previously recéived summonses; Francis Ohleyer, senior trust officer; Edward C. McKinney and Burke Nicholas, trust officers, and Mrs. Burke Nicholas. Two more and there’ll be enough for two Fletcher

Trust juries, It's a little hard to figure how 20 names

could be drawn from one bank by sheer coincidence. How about it, Jack Tilson?

By Raymond Clapper

that such a situation may arise out of the. war makes especially offensive these current maneuvers of: frightened Democratic politicians to Whoop him into the nomination now. I find it a little more reassuring to, the spirit to think of a couple of other events that suggest to me

the strength of American democracy in the midst of | -~

total war, One is the stir caused by the death of the White House peanut vendor, Steve Vasilakos, He' had his peanut wagon on the northeast White House corner for years. After Pearl Harbor he sold war bonds as well as peanuts. = The point abouf Steve's death is that it has heen reported in American newspapers along with the most important news of the day. This humble man of Greek birth received a whole editorial in the New York Times, which is in America about equal to being made a peer in England.

Impossible in Nazi Germany

THE TIMES described Steve as a self-respecting business man whose career would have been impossible in Nazi Germany where a Berlin peanut vendor would have to be a spy, a toady, or a payer of petty blackmail to the gestapo. Also suggesting that American democracy continues to function in the ‘midst of total war is the action of the supreme court in setting aside the con= viction of the Nazi propagandist, George ‘Sylvester Viereck. He was financed with Nazi money. But his conviction was set aside on technical grounds of errors in trial procedure. The fact is that the supreme court; following the American tradition of rule by law and justice, is insisting upon scrupulous Justice even for those who do not deserve it. So it is hard to believe any propagandist who says that Senuitiey is on the way out In America’s total

War.

By Elio Roosevelt building to see an exhibition of paintings done in Mexico by Roy MacNicol. I walked home to find that it was rapidly getting colder. When I opened my windows last night, looked out at the litary sentries, who are always the last

human I at night, and the first I see in the m

, and wished I could do something to]

getting into their ‘stride.

war in which the pioneer sawsmith company has served its country: ’ Started by Elias C. Atkins Sr. in 1857, the company has contributed its efforts in three other wars —the civil war, the Span-ish-American war and world war I. Many of the company's “50-year men” have lived through all these periods and now the Atkins company is geared up nearly 100 per cent on essential war products. The first Atkins pioneer was Louis Suher, who in 1860 walked all the way from Connecticut because he didn’t have transpor-

tation money. He became the first. regular employee of Atkins

Second of a series on: TVA at war.

By DANIEL M. M. KIDNEY Times Staff Writer KNOXVILLE, Tenn., March 85. —Because it is wartime, Douglas dam, which will harness the water of the French Broad river and add another link to the chain of lakes being created in the Tennessee .valley by TVA, will establish a new

only 12 months and 19, days after construction began, The whole job will be. finished in -'a few more weeks, Laurel wreaths for this record will be placed on the brows of Col. Theodore B. Parker, TVA’s chief engineer and Col. who has direct charge of the project. The two engineers, however, pass the praise along to the men in the ranks. Por it is the teamwork of TVA's great construction gang which make world records possible, both of these top-ranking men are quick to explain. Total TVA payrolls have averaged from 35,000 to 45,000 during the last few weeks, and always the vast mass of these men were in the construction ‘end of the business. They have become expert at it. Most of them were drawn from the nearby countryside, .the area expanding as the crew grew. "8 During the dec- : ade since TVA Col. Parker gst started there have been many personnel changes, of course -- particularly of late as the younger men have left for the wars. But always there has been this nucleus of ‘what might be termed “TVA pioneers” who have perpetuated the esprit de corps. ® B® »

Had Running Start

ON THE construction side, no man represents this spirit more than Col. Warren. He made one world record in building the Cherokee dam on the Holston river, and .then moved all the equipment and crew the short distance (23 miles) to. Douglps., 2 This gave the crew a running start Cherokee is no dwarf dam, either. It is 175 feet high and 6760 feet Jong. It nas.a usef: storage capac= “ity ‘of 1473100 acre feet. Its lake is 58, 5 miles. long. C onstruction. 1 started in. a gust, 1940, ‘and | it was completed by April, 1942. * The: cost : was $31,500,000." A stocky fellow with a droll humor and a “deep. understanding of his men, Col. Warren tells

keep them warm. As it was, I was shivering in my] the

+ bed before morning, and I wondered again how those

poor boys had come through their solitary posts.

We have just held the Fourth of March church| Hugh service, and it was well attended. Everybody present| * was moved, I think, by some personal as well as| b

~ national feeling. One mo longer prays in general, for the prayers almost always have some personal E

ro re

You remember, Bhim that the Armenians are

The dam was closed Feb. 20—

Lee Warren, .

Col. Warren

Combam Hise od Nation’ s War cifort a In3 Major Conflicts

ONE OF THE ‘OLDEST employee groups. in. Ameri- . | | ‘can industry will relive the memories of a rich past tomorrow night at the ‘Claypool hotel.

Still going strong since its inception nearly 40 years ago, the colorful Atkins Pioneers of the E. C. Atkins & Co. will add still more members at its 37th annual banquet. This will be a victory banquet. But it isn't the first

and he ‘worked. there the rest of his life. Mr. Suher’s sons and grand-

“sons in turn have worked for

Atkins,

Five Charter Members

THE GUIDING FORCE of the veteran employees’ organization is Clarence A. Newport, who became secretary shortly after’ the group had been started. The club still has five of its original members working at the plant. Headed by Henry C. Atkins, the son of Elias C., they in‘clude BE. W. Clark, who: has 57

years. of service, Al Hert, 57, Mr. -

Newport: 57, and Frank Suher, 53. Dinner will be served tomorrow at 6:30 o'clock at the Riley room, with M. M. Poole, chairman of

the reception and entertainment

committee, and Maurice Collins, assistant chairman, in charge. A reception will be held at 5:30 Pp. m.

world’s record in apis construction.

And they're just 3

Senta 8 nme lub, will'en- -

tertain. The club

members, with 20 years or more

of service. “They represent all secions of tie United States. The 1913 candidates for membership sre Henry C. Atkins Jr.

Beryl Berry, Samuel Berry, John

‘R. Bradshaw, Clarence J. Butler,

Riley Chilton, Marvel W. Dallas,

Arthur . W. Herrington, chair‘man of the board iit the MarmonHerrington Co, Jne., will speak on. “Our Post-War Opportunities for U.S. Industriis.” ] Elias C. Atkins will be master

of ceremonies and will introduce

the guests, who will include several government representatives associated with Atkins’ war eforts.

225 Are Expected

BERT" DINGLEY, president. of :Marmon-Herrington, will ‘be a ‘guest of. H. C. aid Elias Atkins. Other guests will be Harold In-

+ gersoll, of the Ingersoll Steel & "Disc Co; :New Castle, ‘Ind. and

“(George Poole, me allurgist of the : Ingersoll plant. About 225 men bers and guests are expected. Ai. orchestra, ase. sisted by ‘Miss Jeannette Uhl, “singer and maste! of - ceremonies, and daughter of: Fred: Uhl, presi-

; ‘Erwin Huber,

Claude Iirake, William H. Ed-

--monds, Chauncey V. Fisher, Rob= ert L. Fitzsimmons, Otto V. Gale, © Alvin J. Haley, William O. Har-

per, Prince A. Hazzard, Harlan H. ard, Conrad. F. Henschen, who is in the air corps and stationed at Honolulu; Carl Jones, Jerry R. Keys, Frank:

‘Perkins and Chester C. Robbins.

“John P. Satterfield, Carl J. ‘Short, Ejorace. W. Smith, Lawrence Smith, Robert, L.. Smith, Wilbur A. Smith, William XH.

+ Lynch, Perry EK. Mea’ : dors, ‘Eugene OC. Oliver, Oral BE. . Owens, Louis E. Pavey, ‘William X

Snodgrass, John L. Schooley, Ever- ©. Williams, 8 and William, I

ett Socks, Chester R. Stockwell, Ralph Storms, Earl L. Swartz

. baugh, Hrnest R. Turner, Willard

H. Washam, ‘Robert W. Wells, Joseph A. Whittaker and Walter

.H. Wood.

17 In 50- Year Club

THE #0-YEAR HONOR club ab Atkins will have 17 members

Vaught, 50. New 1943 officers of the Ploneers

otary president; Mr. Uhl, presi= a. Mz. Collins, vice. See

Weaver, vistior..

tomorfow When the program - Swaim closes with the addition of Charles inden

Kappus. - Active members. of this old timers’ group are H. C. Atkins

Sr., 62 years; Mr. Hert, agra 4

Mildred en a

Newport, 57; Henry Zschech, 55} jah: Williams, vice “President, i ‘Mr. Suber, 53; W. A. Atkins, 545 ars, 3

‘John E. Johnston, 52; John Kappus, 51; Charles Bert Blue, 51; Edward W. Clark, 57 years. The inactive . members are Charles Fenton, with 62 years; Francis M. Hager, 58; George

TVA Morale Proves Factor | in Smashing Building Records

wonders how it is that men cant

make such monsters.

TVA officials attribute much of}

‘the ‘Sucgess— patticularly the

round-the-clock with lights night wartime performance their construction crews to

~~ somewhat ‘vague but; vital hing : cailed—moral. - :

Patterson Pleased -

“ WHEN TVA’ Chdirman. David Lilienthal addressed the workers

. at Douglas’ dam some months ago, he read a letter from Undersecre=

tary of War Patterson praising

“.~ accomplishments of the workers.

Nearly: 10 billion kilowatt hours: of electricity a year, the most of which goes into war production, comes out’ of this storehouse of i at: Cherokee. dam: on: Helston iver. The dam was completed in the

Spring of 1042,

* mess halls, a postoflice end recreation rooms, all having much the: appearance of an army cantonment. : 2 = = Built Own Railroad

TVA CONSTRUCTED its own: broad-gauge railroad to. haul equipment and supplies to the site. And a giant cement silo is constantly fed by a long belt line from a q downstream from the dam. As one takes the winding road down to the dam, the thousands of men employed at the hundreds of tasks come into proper focus in the picture. They are machinists, engineers, ‘operators. of cranes

on the river bank"

AT steam shovels, electricians, air drill: men ard dozens of other skilled . workmen a8 well as thousands of: laborers. : Gol. Warren scems to know them all and waves a friendly greet‘ing. ‘He will stop and check with this supervisor and that foreman. A ‘great railroail crane switching _back and: forth from the 30-story cement. mixer carries a’ buckeét that plops six. tons of concrete on any: ‘given’ spot with the’ ACeUTacy of an expert ‘rideman. ‘But the six-ton. load. seems ke a spoonful’ ‘when. it falls into the vast forms, and, many will be needed’ before. the Lg steel and .concrete structure is fully: complete, +a

CHARLESTON, Ww. Va, ‘March ‘5 (U.P) ~Back in the hills the moenshiners are: making: sugarless “victory” ‘whisky, but the excellence of the product is ‘being hampered: by lack of: old-timers to lend: their’ dis- |.

everyone that he was born at it was a question of prod

tilling: wisdom. LS Federal alcohol ‘agents say only a #T few. hundred gallons! of ‘the opt Te

Mountaineers Found Making ~ Sugarless Victory’ Whisky

jot Virginia the moorshiners’ have

converted - fo: sbrghum ‘and corn‘meal. In Kentucky, moonshiners use’ tender corn ‘sprouts: and ‘make % Sli grain whisky. :

Great | cranes’ will ‘be part of

. That letter . closed With Jes : phs: : AS 500 Attuw, the: wax departs ment has leaned heavily ‘on. the TVA to provide a tremendous ‘amount. of power. required for the

‘military. program. Its confidence 1b the TVA to produce results is.

well. Justified. “The . achievements in. the .con struction and power fields by: :

“management, technical staff,’ and . ‘workers of the TVA .in.thus com-

pleting these major power pro.

‘ects ahead of schedule” reflect

‘superior organization and

_ devotion to his duty or task b . each individual engaged n

ag hope that you will conver ‘the war department’s appreciation

“of such” service to all ranks . the Tennessee valley. authority! the regular equipment at Douglas

dam. For it is what is called an . =~

“indoor-outdoor” type of operation, the cranes remain. unhoused for immediate use in lifting the huge: hydroalectric turbines. into or out of the’ pits deep in the dam,

. ‘Huge metal intake ‘and’ sluice- |

way gates are, hoisted into. posi_tion, and’ when they are closed the: filling" of “the vast reset voir begins. ;

Must Divert Lars | BUT BEFORE any of this work

can be started a _cofferdam must |

carry the river around the site of ttie"dam; which is quite a feat.

When: the : sections of the dam |:

which carry the water over the spillway. are ready, the. cofferdam is torn out and the river again is back ‘in its bed, while the: work on’ ‘he dam continues to completon, " Despite the attempt at speedup, ‘some difficulty was encoun= tered. at the start with. Douglas because of the limestone ‘forma= ions near: the top of ‘the dam. These Were quickly ‘cleaned: out

SEs | va eye, on

‘and “filled: with cement and con- | ment

| stant borings ate taken by a.spe-

cial crew on. all such dams to’ see : are left uncsulked.