Fourth Accident Victim Dies;
Investigation of Collision Started
FRESNO, Calif., Feb. 5—(AP)
The fourth crash victim died today
as the district attorney opened an
investigation of a blazing collision
of the Southern Pacific railroad’s
San Joaquin daylight with a gaso
line tank truck at nearby Kings
burg crossing.
Half of some 80 persons injured
yesterday afternoon when the
streamlined train plowed into the
truck trailer loaded with 100 gal
lons of high test gasoline, have been
released from hospitals.
Among the uninjured passengers
was Amos Alonzo Stagg, dean of
American football coaches. He gave
his sweater to an unidentified wom
an who had lost her coat in the con
fusion.
Tracks Cleared
Wrecking crews cleared from the
main line tracks nine modern, steel
chair cars and the locomotive, all
gutted or seared by* flames which
engulfed most of the train.
Miss Katherine Ann Hansen, 17
yea.r-old passenger of Pasadena,
Calif., was the fourth fatality. She
died today at the Kingsburg hospi
tal. The other three were killed out
right. These included the engineer
who apparently set the brakes as
his last act before he died.
District Attorney James M. Thue
sen opened what he termed a search
ing investigation of the tragedy,
questioning several witnesses and
Philip Mayer, of Fresno, the'truck
driver who amazingly escaped
without injury. He was not held.
Visa and Versa —
Better Come Home
FORT LEWIS, Feb. 5—(AP)—A
short time ago Pvt. Donald D. Deere
was in Italy and his wife, Mary
Louise, in Cottage Grove, Ore.,
longed for him to come home. Now
Pvt. Deere is home and longing for
Mary Louise who is somewhere en
route to Italy.
It all happened when Deere in
Italy sent for his wife to join him
but when her departure was de
layed hopped a ship for home.
Meantime Mary Louise set out for
Italy.
The army and Deere with equal
fervor are seeing he stays "put” at
the separation center here until
they can learn whether Mary Louise
has reached Italy, is on the sea, or,
hope above hope, has not yet left
New York.
Panic inside the coaches ana
broken glass from windows through
which many passengers escaped
were held responsible for many of
the injuries. Some broke the glass
with their bare hands. Many of the
injured were burned.
A check of the several hospitals
where the injured were taken dis
closed that all are expected to live.
Among seven passengers still in
a serious condition is Mrs. Harold
Hawkins, 3409 SE Belmont, Port
land, Oregon. She is in the Selma,
Calif., hospital receiving treatment
for cuts and burns on both legs and
hands.
A Southern Pacific official in
Fresno estimated the damage to
the crack 14 car passenger train
“will exceed $500,000, although
there will be some salvage.”
Atomic Power Blamed
For Nazi Ship Sinking
PEARL, HARBOR, Feb. 5—
(AP)—A high-ranking navy offi
cer said today the Prinz Eugen
was a victim of atomic power,
ending speculation on the cause
of the sinking of the trim former
Nazi heavy cruiser.
Hammering underwater blows
from the second atomic bomb ex
plosion at last summer's Bikini
tests loosened the Eugen’s plates
and caused the cruiser to spring
leaks in compartments that naval
personnel could not enter because
of danger from radioactivity.
The Eugen had been taken to
Kwajalein lagoon and anchored
with other survivors of the Bi
kini atomic fleet. It sank at
Kwajalein in mid-December.
'Polar Bears' Try Suits
LITTLE AMERICA, Feb. 4.—
(Delayed) — (AP) Fifteen men,
imitating polar bears, splashed and
swam for 21 minutes today in the
ice-choked, 30-degree water off the
Bay of Whales to test new rubber
swim suits.
The men were all expert swim
mers of underwater demolition team
No. 4 with the United States navy
Antarctic task force. They wore
heavy underwear, socks and gloves
underneath skin-tight green suits,
first designed for the invasion of
Japan.
WIRE STAFF:
June Goetze
Bobolee Brophy
COLLARD MOTORS
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Soldier Questioned
In 'Dahlia’ Slaying
FORT DIX, N. J., Feb. 5— (AP)
—Corporal Joseph Dumais, 29, of
Claremont, N. H„ a military po
liceman and a veteijan of the
European war theater, was ques
tioned by army investigators to
day about the torture-slaying last
month of attractive brunette
Elizabeth Short, the “Black Dah
lia,” in Los Angeles.
Ma.ior Cornelius T. Morris, post
public relations officer who iden
tified Dumais, said dark stains in
side a pocket of his trousers had
been analyzed by state police
chemists and found to be blood.
Dumais, who Major Morris said,
has had three wives, was taken
into custody for questioning in
connection with embezzlement, the
public relations officer announced.
During the questioning, Morris
said, he talked about the “Black
Dahlia” case.
Major Morris said Dumais was
examined by a psychiatrist today,
and that the doctor recommended
that the soldier be placed in a
hospital.
Witness Says Lock Put
On Plane Before Crash
COPENHAGEN, Feb. 5 (AP) —
A Danish airlines radio operator
testified today he saw “a tall man
wearing a blue uniform” place an
elevator lock on a Royal Dutch
airline transport shortly before it
crashed during a takeoff here
Jan. 26, killing soprano Grace
Moore and 21 other persons.
“I thought it was rather
strange, as it was not according
to practice to lock elevator flaps,”
said the witness, Kesper Andersen.
Andersen was one of 23 Kastrup
airport employes called before
Judge Olaf Baerentzen of the
Copenhagen town court during an
inquiry into the crash.
Other witnesses said they saw
no one place a lock, such as was
found near the DC-3 plane wreck
age, on the elevator flap.
Oregon W Emerald
WORLD NEWS SECTION
Bob Frazier, Wire Editor
Truman Advocates
Succession Change
WASHINGTON, Feb. 5—(AP)
—President Harry S. Truman to
day asked congress for legislation
which would place Republican
Speaker Joe Martin first in line
of succession to the presidency.
The president, in a letter to
Martin, and Senator Arthur A.
Vandenberg (R-Mich) president
pro tem of the senate, renewed his
appeal for a change in the tra
ditional line of succession.
Secretary of State George C.
Marshall currently would advance
to the White House if a vacancy
should occur prior to the 1948
elections.
Mr. Truman’s first proposal that
the speaker of the house be put
in line after the vice president
was made shortly after he suc
ceeded Franklin D. Roosevelt.
It was directed to a congress
controlled by his own democratic
party and would have made for
mer speaker Sam Rayburn presi
dent in the event of his own in
capacitation.
Mr. Truman wrote today:
"I said then, and I repeat now,
that in a democracy the president
should not have the power to
nominate his immediate succes
sor.”
New Coastline Found
In South Polar Region j
LITTLE AMERICA, Feb. 5 (AP
—Rear Adm. Richard E. Byrd an
nounced today the expedition had
discovered a new south polar'^N
coastline almost equal the dis
tance across the United States
and 125,000 square miles of hith
erto unknown continental area.
Weather
OREGON—Partly cloudy today,
tonight and Thursday, with local
fog in west portion. Little tem
perature change except slightly
warmer in Medford valley this
afternoon. Gentle changeable wind
off coast.
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