WEATHER
: Fair today and tonight. In
creasing high clouds Friday.
High today 90-95 and Friday
80-86. Low tonight 46-54. ,
Daily oxcopt Sunday
LA GRANDE, OREGON, THURSDAY, AUGUST 7, 1958
Prlea S Ctnta
Tankers Collide In Fog Killing
15;
36
Hurt
Quick Action Oh UN
EmergencyMeetSeen
UNITED NATIONS, N.Y. (UPI)
Western diplomats predicted the
U.N. Security Council would act
quickly today to set up an emer
gency session of the General As
sembly on the Middle East begin
ning Friday. Indications were the
session would be on U.S. terms.
The council, summoned by Rus
sia, was scheduled to meet this
afternoon. ,
It had two resolutions to consid
er, one by the United States and
the other by Soviet Russia, both
calling for an emergency convoca
tion of the 81-member assembly.
C Of C Seeks
Improved
Air Service
A variety of topics were re
viewed at yesterday's regular
meeting of Chamber of Commerce
directors.
Chamber President Averitt Hic
kox reported that the Chamber's
request for improved airline ser
vice and renewal of La Grande's
air service certificate will be
mailed this week to Oregon Con
gressmen, West Coast Airlines
and the Civil Aeronautics Board.
John Groupe was appointed
chairman of a special, committee
to develop a welcome for new
Eastern Oregon College students.
On recommendation of the Na
tional Affairs committee, the
board authorized that telegrams
be sent Senators. Morse and Neu
bcrger, urging that no changes
be made in Social Security bene
fits, taxable wage base, or , tax
rates, and ;lhat 'no '- benefits ! .be
added until the Advisory Council
reports to Congress on the eco
nomic soundness of the changes.
The board also approved Chamber
support of H.R. 3, designed to
curtail Federal preemption of
state authority.
The board decided to table
plans far- a goodwill tour to Wal
' Iowa county, and to tabic efforts
to obtain county zoning to pro
tect La Grande's highway entran
ces from "eye-sores."
Hickox reported that a drive-up
mail box has been ordered for
the local post office and' that the
Chamber will ask the cily to pro
vide curb space.
During the meeting. Dick Brad
shaw, West Coast Airlines agent
here, presented a certificate to
Ronald Waite, La Grande high
school student, in recognition of
his being a finalist in an airline
contest which offers a $6,000
aeronautical engineering scholar
ship. .
Sheriff Reminds
Fou.rth Quarter
Taxes Due Aug. 15
H. A. Klinghammer, Union
county Sheriff, reminded taxpay
ers today that August 15 is the
final date for fourth quarter pay
"ments of all real estate and per
sonal property taxes. After, this
date interest will be charged on
the unpaid balance.
Klinghammer said $1,57(1,254.20
in tax monies has been paid to Die
county treasurer Elizabeth Hun
gerford to date, which amounts
to 90 per cent of the $1,796,469.89
to be collected.
Raybum
WASHINGTON UPI The
House Rules Committee today, un
der pressure from Speaker Sam
Rayburn, revived a self-financing
plan for the Tennessee Valley Au
thority. The committee Wednesday vot
ed to table the Senate-passed mea
sure which would authorize the
power-development agency to fi
nance part of its expansion acti
vities with bond sales rather than
congressional appropriations.
Rayburn, who regards the leg
islation as urgent, communicated
his displeasure to the committee
which controls all bills going to
the House floor. This morning, the
committee held a closed-door ses
sion and canceled the tabling ac
tion to keep the measure alive.
But Chairman Howard- W. Smith
(D-Va.) said no decision was
made whether sto clear the meas
ure for floor action.
The U.S. resolution will be tak
en up first and appeared certain
to be approved by the 11-mcmber
Security Council. The Russian res
olution was as certain to be re
jected. There can be no veto on
the vote.
, Soviet Premier,,. N i k i t a S.
Khrushchev dumped the Middle
East issue into'thc lap of the Gen
eral Assembly in a sudden shift
in, tactics, apparently a result of
his talks with Chinese Communist
leader Mao Tse-tung in Peiping
last week.
In so doing, Khrilshchev reject
ed Anglo-American proposals for
a summit meeting within the
council which he denounced as a
tool of the United States.
But Soviet and Red Chinese
propaganda machines were going
all out to put the blame on the
West for torpedoing the summit
talks. The official Communist Par
ty newspaper Pravda asserted
Russia "has emphasized that in
the present tense situation the
swift summoning of a conference
of the heads of government at a
summit level is ' particularly nee
essary." Red Chinese newspapers sup
ported Khrushchev's opposition to
a summit-council meeting and
criticized the United States for in
sisting the assembly should dis
cuss its resolution ahead of the
Soviet resolution demanding with
drawal of U.S. and British troops
from Lebanon and Jordan.
There were signs, meantime, in
Washington and Moscow that the
"crisis" atmosphere in the Middle
East was dissipating.
The U.S. Navy disclosed it had
called off t(ie four-hour "alert"
put into effect in both the Atlan
tic ap$j Pacific fleets. Immediately
after the Anglo-American troop
landings in Lebanon and Jordan.
And in Moscow, Soviet newspa
pers published a report from the
Ministry of Defense announcing
the conclusion of military maneu
vers in the Caucasus and Turke
stan which border on Turkey and
Iran. The maneuvers began July
in at the height of the Middle
East crisis.
Under United Nations rules, an
emergency session of the assem
bly must be convened within 24
hours after the council votes such
a call. '
U.S. sources said th'ey expected
the assembly to be called into ses
sion Friday afternoon and sit for
"about 10 days" in an emergency
meeting which is expected to
bring a Western plan to guaran
tee the integrity of the Middle
East countries with the excep
tion of Russia.
Both U.S. Ambassador Henry
Cabot Lodge and Soviet Ambassa
dor Arkady Sobolev submitted res
olutions calling for an emergency
session of the General Assembly
before the council adjourned de
bate on July 22 to allow time for'
the eventually fruitless negotia
tions for a meeting of the heads-of-government.
The Soviet resolution was re
vised Wednesday to eliminate ref
erence to American and British
"intervention" in the Middle East.
But it still called for the "imme
diate" withdrawal of the Anglo
American troops from Lebanon
and Jordan.
The U.S. resolution called for
the emergency assembly session
to consider the plight of Lebanon.
The United States planned to re
vise the measure to put a broader
Item on the Middle East question
before the assembly.
Urges Self
Elsewhere in Congress today:
Goldfine: Rep. August E. Jo
hansen (R-Mich.) accused New
England textile millionaire Ber
nard Goldfine, friend of Presiden
tial Aide Sherman Adams, of try
ing to "butter up" assistants to
congressmen with his "true facts"
letters to 400 members of the
House, in the latters, Goldfine
urged the legislators not to cite
him for contempt as a result of
he recent Goldfine-Adams influ
ence inquiry. .
Adjournment: House leaders
said prospects for early congres
sional adjournment were looking
dimmer, Democratic ueaaer John
W. McCormack (Mass.) said he
does not think the House can wind
up its work by Aug. 16. Speaker
Sam Rayburn said that now
seemed likely.
Move
Made To
End Crisis
LONDON (UPD Prime Min
ister Harold Macmillan made an
all-out bid today to end three
years of bloodshed on Cyprus and
head off the threat of war be
tween Greece and Turkey.
Macmillan was flying to Athens
for emergency talks with Greek
Premier ' Constantine Karamanlis
on means to halt the costly inter
communal disorders on the stra
tegic island colony in the Medi
terranean. About 450 persons have
been killed since the underground
Eoka launched its anti - British
campaign three years ago.
Britain has some 38,000 troops
tied down on the island because
of the fighting between Cypriots
of Turkish and Greek descent.
From Athens, Macmillan may
fly on to Ankara for similar talks
with Premier Adnan Menderes,
with whom he discussed the Cyp
rus question during the '' recent
Baghdad Pact meeting in London.
U. S. .diplomatic troubieshooter
Robert Murphy also is scheduled
to fly from Cairo to Athens today.
Sources in Athens speculated
Murphy may take part in the
talks which they said could re
move "a major" obstacle to -the
Western alliance in this part of
the world."
Airlines Cancels Night
Flight Due
; At the City Cotnniirsiwy rneeUng
last night, ;'a - letter was ' received
from A. C. Hickox, president of
the La Grande-Union County
Chamber of Commerce stating
that ' landing lights at the La
Grande Airport have been out for
several days, and that the evening
flight has been cancelled until
the lighting system is reactivated.
He also said, "This condition,
no doubt, is unavoidable. How
ever, it is particularly distress
ing, at this time, in view of our
efforts to obtain additional flights
and to effect the renewal of our
air service permit."
Ron Bayes
Leaving For
Greenland
Ron Bayes, La Grande, form
erly director of information at
EOC, who has been doing special
graduate work in speech on the
campus here this summer, leav
es: for Sondrcstrom, Greenland
Sunday.
Bayes, who will teach with the
Extension of the University of
Maryland as lecturer in speech,
English and literature, will stop
in Washington, D. C. for a series
of conferences at the University's
College Park campus, just out of
the Capitol.
His new job calls for the Eng
lish teacher to move frequently.
He will teach in Bermuda from
January through May then move
on to Iceland's Keflavik Airport
to teach next year's summer ses
sion. Bayes is a iormer pari-
timc Evening Observer staff mem
ber. - Financing
Trade: President r Eisenhower
appeared on the verge of a major
victory as the House prepared to
vote on a four-year extension of
the 25-year-old reciprocal trade
program.
-Welfare funds! The ' House
passed a bill to force public oper
ation of employe welfare and pen
sion funds after beating down a
Republican move to exempt management-run
plans. The bill now
goes to the Senate which passed
a different welfare fund disclosure
bill last April.
Farm': Republican leaders lost
a gamble when they engineered
defeat of a new farm bill which
would have provided some of the
price support reductions the Pres
ident wanted. They pushed for a
quick vote on the measure in hope
of getting action later on a bill
containing even more concessions
to Agriculture Secretary Ezra T.
1 V Zi
HUMAN TORCH Frank Kierdorf, Teamster Union official, stag
gered into a Pontiac, Mich., hospital, with 85 per cent of his body
severely burned, after being doused with gasoline and set afire.
Klerdorf died today. Here he is shown being questioned by an
Asst. Prosecuting Atty., in the hospital. He had refused to give
hospital personnel his name, and had to be identified by his fing
erprints. (NEA)
To Lights
C. OaVitLtk Sijuyht,-ctt8i'lei'
stated that after testing the light
ing systemi -repair parts were
being installed by workmen at the
present time. . ', .
. Mention was made that August
26 is the last day for candidates
Lto file for commissioner in order
to be included on the November
ballot. Three vacancies, two for
four years and one for , one year
are open for terms starting January,-1959.
Other business included grant
ing of permission to. park, not to
exceed five, unoccupied trailer
houses until May 1, 1959, on a lot
owned by Albert True at 1109 V
Ave.. . . ...
Harold Schwebke, new owner of
Stockman's lunch, asked for park
ing space near his place of busi
ness. He stated that unloading on
the present plan was a hazard to
traffic and a handicap to custo
mer parking. This request? is to
be re-checked by the chief of po
lice. Another request to hold a Youth
Activities Dance on the tennis
court at .Pioneer Park was ap
proved. The city engineer's report, No.
1876, for district 238 plans and
specifications , for Improvement
was adopted. . .
Elgin Jewelery Store
Plans Opening Day Fete
ELGIN (Special) The Wise
Jewelry Store will hold a Grand
Opening at the new store on Sat
urday, August 9. Over $200 in door
prizes will be presented to visi
tors. Coffee will also be served.
The store is located on Tollgate
highway and Market Road west
of Elgin!
For TVA
Benson's demand for lower price
props. But Speaker Sam Rayburn
said no new farm legislation
would' be considered this year.
. Debt: The House voted to grant
President Eisenhower's request to
raise the temporary national debt
limit from 280 billion dollars to a
record 288 billion dollars and the
permanent ceiling from 275 billion
to 285 billion, ine measure now
goes to the Senate where it
seemed certain to pass.
Defense: President Eisenhower
signed the defense reorganization
bill and hailed it as a major ad
vance in our organization for de
fense." The signature ended one
of the hottest disputes of the cur
rent legislative session between
Congress and the administration.
The final version gave Eisenhow
er most of the power he wanted
to streamline the Defense Depart
ment.
Human Torch
Dies; Witness
Cites Arson,
PONTIAC, Mich. (UPU-Human
torch Frank Klerdorf died today
at St. - Joseph Murcy Hospital on
ly hours after police produced a
witness' who saw a Flint arson
job on which he was believed to
have been burned.
Doctors said Kierdorf's heart
apparently stopped beating at
9:25 a.m. p.d.t. but ho wasn't
pronounced dead until 9:30 a.m.
The 56-year-old ex-convict who
was business agent for a Flint
Teamsters Union local, had stag
gered into the hospital early Mon
day with burns over 85 per cent
of his body.
He said he had been turned into
a human torch by two unidenti
fied men who "took me for a
ride," but police have been break
ing down his story, piece by piece.
State Attorney General Paul
Adams early this morning con
firmed that police had in protec
tive custody a witness to the ex
plosive burning of a dry cleaning
establishment at Flint.
He also disclosed that Kier
dorf's missing uncle, Herman
Kierdorf, was a "definite suspect"
in the arson job.
Elsie Cauthorn
Found Dead In
Her Home Today
Mrs. Elsie Cauthorn, 73. who
lived at 1907 2nd St. here, was
found dead in her home this
morning by La Grande Fire Chief
"ay Snider and city police of
ficers.
Union County Coroner Norm
Daniels, after investigation, re
ported that Mrs. Cauthorn appar
ently died of natural causes
"sometime in the last two days."
He said she had been ill. Her
husband, Carter, died early this
year.
Snider, who lives next door,
said he had not seen Mrs. Cau
thorn for two or three days, and
knocked on toe door this morning
to see if she was "all right." After
no reply, he contacted city police.
They found Mrs. Cauthorn dead,
Union County Welfare depart
ment said she was born Dec. 8,
188S at Sheboygan, Wis.
SHOT REPORTED
City Police said this morning
that Mr. and Mrs. James Evers,
who live on Foothill Road on the
outskirts of La Grande, reported
a bullet pierced their home on
the South side, probably during
the night or early this morning
Police are investigating the inci
dent.
9 Convicts
StagePrison
Break
MONROE, Wash. (UPD Nine
convicts who escaped the Wash
ington state reformatory here
Wednesday night after beating
two guards into submission were
still at large today.
Ernest Timpenl, superintendent
of the reformatory, said the nine
men. from among the "tougher
element" of the institution, made
their break when they were re
turning from their evening exer
cise period about 8 p.m.
They overpowered the guards
and worked their way through a
light well in cell block one," Tim
pani said. "Once through the light
well, they were on the roof where
they must have dropped to a low
er level, then let themselves down
over the walls on bed sheets."
The guards, Robert Fifield and
Lester Sain, were treated at the
reformatory infirmary and Fifield
was taken to the hospital here
for observation. Fifield suffered
cuts about the face and head and
a fractured index finger. Sain
was knocked unconscious but suf
fered only head injuries'. Both
guards were unarmed. '
About three hours after the
break-out, Mrs. Dorothy Brain, 27,
wife of a reformatory guard, was
slugged on the head by one of the
escapees who broke into her
Arlington home.
Mrs. Brain said her. assailant
was Elvin Gllroy, 19,' of Seattle
Tlmpanh said an automobile
stolen in the Monroe area was
found abandoned at Snohomish,
seven miles from the reforma
tory; The Interior of the car was
spattered with blood, indicating
one or more of the inmates was
injured &iHrig ;theiriatrugglo with'
(he guards. v opi-v k -; .
Local Red Cross
Chapter's Dinner
Meet Set Tonight
Raymond E. Vcster of Port
land is scheduled to present the
main address at the annual dinner
of The American Rcd Cross chap
ter here tonight at 7 p.m. at the
Sacajawea Hotel. The dinner and
meeting is open to the public.
Vester is chairman of the Port-
land-Multnomah United Fund and
will serve this year as the nation
al fund vice-chairman of the Red
Cross in Oregon. He is a past
chairman of the Portland-Multno-
mah chapter of the Red Cross and
was national fund vice-chairman
in 1956.
Ann Johnson Will
Chairman Local
Fall Showing
Ann Johnson, of Ann Johnson
Ladies Ready-To-Wear, has ac
cepted an appointment as general
chairman of the Retail Merchants
Association's annual Fall Show
ing. '
RMA President Harold Laurence
said plans will be developed later
this month for the annual com
munity event. The Showing will
probably be scheduled in mid
September, he added.
EARLY MORNING CRASH Thre persons
were killed when this light plene crashed In a
street- of Paceime, Calif., while trying for e
landing at nearby Whitman Air Park. On
of the victims was Identified as James E. Hook
Wreck Spills Crewmen
Into Firey Sea Today
NEWPORT. R. I (UPI) Two
tankers, one loaded with a mil
lion gallons of gasoline, crashed
in flames in thick fog today,, kil
ling at least 15 men and injuring
3(i.
At noon (9 a.m. p.d.t.), five
hours after the collision, nine bod
ies were found entombed below
decks in the larger of the two
ships. Six other men died when
they leaped into the fiery sea af
ter the collision off Fort Adams.
Of the injured, 31 were held in
hospitals for treatment and five
were released. Several of the hos
pitalized were reported in critical
condition from burns.
The ships, the 10,000-ton S. S.
Gulfoil out of Philadelphia, and
the coastal tanker S. S. Graham,
collided in a half-mile channel at
the entrance to Narragansett Bay.
The collision occured within sight
of the still-beached wreckage of
the Norwegian freighter Vebte
ville, which ran nground Inst Sep
tember. . : -, ... ..
Tht Gulfoil skipper, Ca'pt..M.
Eden, Port Arthr, Tex., perished
with his ship,, which' later, went
agonmd off Fort Adams. Flames
and smoke spewed from both ves
sels five hours after the collision,
punctuated by a rocking explosion.
The Graham burned . fiercely at
the southern tip of Rose' Island
in Newport Harbor. At one time,
the heat, was so intense that fire
boats could not get near the ves
sel and it' had to bo- towed off
the shore. . --...' -i ' ' .- ,,.'.
The Graham: carried a crew of
12. '.-.;.
Solon Urges
Perjury
Of Hoffa Tale
WASHINGTON (UPI) Chair
man John L. McClellan called to
day for a Justice Department In
vestigation of possible perjury' in
Teamster., president James H,
Hoffa's testimony before the Sen
ate Rackets Committee. , , ,;
The Arkansas . Democrat .' said
conflicts between .. Hoffa's: testi
mony . last fall and the sworn
statements of former heavyweight
boxer Embrel Davidson made nec
essary an investigation "to deter
mine who perjured, himself. ,
"Definitely, such conflicts could
hardly be any misunderstand
ing, McClellan said.
He also observed that the, rec
ords appeared to back up the
story Davidson gave the commit
tee today.- ;. ' , , '''. "
"Either Davidson perjured him
self or Hoffa was not telling the
truth when he testified before,
McClellan said. .'.,-.''"
Davidson, billed as , a mystery
witness, told the committee he
drew $75 a week from the Team
ster Welfare Fund while working
for union Vice President Owen
Bert Brennan, who was his man
ager. , - , - .: -
Committee . Counsel . Robert F,
Kennedy ' quoted from the tran
script of Hoffa's testimony last
fall in which the Teamster leader
said Davidson got no money
from the union. . .
. -4-.
tens were sleeping, ine;
Navy Chief Petty Officer Thorn,
as Wright of the Newport Naval
Base reported that a crew froii)
the Navy oiler Salamone found
the nine bodies below decks. He
said the vessel still was burning
at noon.
Engineer Melvin J. ' Wroten,.
aboard the fully-loaded Graham,
said "it was like a stick of dyna
mite. It was awful and it - was
beautiful and, oh my God, I lived
through it."
Wroten was the last to leave
the Graham with Capt. Karl An
derson, Chester, Pa. He said the
fire flashed along the port side
of the ship, then gasoline- fed
flames licked to the starboard side
where the men were attempting
to launch a lifeboat.
"We all ran forward," he said.
"and dove into the water. By the
time the lifeboat hit, it was all
aflame. But most of the men Were
calm and all but one boy wore
hfejackets. I got to him a . few
minutes after we were in -the
water. ' ''.,.'.' .' '" ' . ,."'' .
"Fire was everywhere. I didn't
even see the other ship.'.' . -,' ,-.. .
Wroten said it was like watch
ing my home go boom." He said
after he was picked up by a coast
guard boat, "I sat down on -.the
deck and just shook, there -was
nothing else to do." . ';.'.
The Gulfoil, launched in 1943 at
Sparrows Point, , Md., and, owned
by the Gulf Oil Corp., delivered
120,ooo: barrels of oil' Wednesday
at Providence and was sailing i-in
ballast for: Port' Arthur,' Tex.-;r ,-;
The' Graham, owned by the S'.Ei
Graham Transportation Co.; Glad:
uiunn- kft WD. a en naflDdm tn
Capt. Clay T. Evans of the -fcr-
fy , boat "Newport, whioh interrupt
ed its run to Jamestown Island
opposite Newport to pick up jsur
vivors, said "there was fire all
over the water. - . ; - . 'v''
'You couldn't see more than 100
feet," he said, "the fog was . so
hnit Thft (rnffin frnm thp'rpKouf.
hnnts was terrific. We had to'' no
tour around the. area,. '-There was
so much fire but you Just couldn't
tell how much' because 1 of that
terrible fog." . . - ;.'i(
First to reach' the scene .was
the Coast Guard cutter Laurel
from Castle Hill,, R.I. Other cut'
ters from New Bedford and Woods,
Hole, Mass., joined fire, Navy and
Coast Guard cutters from Newport
and other nearby bases.
Army helicopters from Otis Alr
Force Base, Mass., also were
summoned. -
More than an hour after the col
lision, the flames were visible
from the streets of this fashion
able summer resort.
Newport Navy Security Officer,
Capt. Richard Ashman said a
Navy fireman braved the flames
and smoke to climb hand over
hand up the anchor chain of the
Gulfoil.
The unidentified fireman crawl
ed onto the deck and grabbed a
seaman who was "badly burned
from head to foot and in a state
of shock." .
The smoking hulk of the Uultoil
sloshed on to the beach off Fort
Adams. F i r e b o a t s snuggled
around, ' pouring water on the
stricken tanker. The Graham aU;
so burned fiercely.
er, 6, bolleved to be tho pllot. Th crash oc
curred in the oarly morning hours, and Hi
plane narrowly missed a home In which 1Q