I
WEATHER
Cloudy today; partly cloudy
tonight and . Wednesday;
highs 44-50; low tonight 20
25. Established 1896
Daily except Sunday
LA GRANDE, OREGON TUESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 195S
Price 5 Cents
Chicago School Fire Kills 90
DALE CASE HONORED Oregon's 4-H tractor
winner. Dale Case of Alicel, as a guest at the
current national 4-H conference in Chicago,
III., is shown as he received a crown as Oregon
Tractor winner from conference Queen Ger
aldine Gajewski. Lean M. McNair, left, pre-
?,:,'
Dale
Case
At Chicago
CHICAGO Dale Case, Alicel,
lias been honored at the 37th an
nual 411 Club Congress as the 4
H Tractor Program winner in the
slate of Oregon.
He won the stale tractor crown
on the basis ot his outstanding
record of activity and leadership
in the 4-H tractor program anil
was awarded an all expense paid
trip to the Club Congress un
derway this week in Chicago.
Dale is the guest at the Con
gress of the National Committee
on Boys and Girls Club Work.
Inc., which sponsors project ma
terial and awards for the tractor
Water Supply Study
To Be Aired At Meet
Roy Taylor, a consulting engi
neer from a Eoise, Idaho firm,
will meet with the city planning
commission and other city, offi
cials at 7:30 p.m. today to dis
cuss details of a complete La
Grande water supply study.
City Manager Fred Young ar
ranged the meeting to discuss
the possible future water needs
of La Grande.
CALLING ALL KIDS . . . time for
til k
COLORING CONTEST Starting tomorrow the La Grande Eve
ning Observer will run a Chrislmas sketch for coloring by
youngsters 10 years old or under. Four sketches will appear,
one each day, Wednesday through Saturday. The Observer
will have 33 entries selected at local winners, with the win
nesr to get cash prixos and show tickets. The entries will also
be sent to Cleveland, Ohio to compete for national winners.
Top prize locally will be $5 cash, with second and third place
winners to get $3 and S2 respectively, and 30 additional win
ners to get two show tickets each. A full set of colored sketch
es are to be turned in at the Observer officers ioon as possible
after the final sketch appears Salurday. The top national con- -testant
will receive a S100 U. S. ravings Bond or set of Ency
clopedia Britannica Junior.
V
.-4 ' J
M."J hi
sents Dale with
4-H Meet
program in Oregon and five oth
er slates. The program is direct
ed nationally by the Extension
Service in cooperation with the
National Committee.
Highlights of the week for Dale
were his crowning as the state
tractor winner by a beauty queen
and the honors banquet attended
by all state. winners, their spon
sors and 4-H leaders.
Dale is the son of Mr. and Mrs.
Homer Case, and is a member of
the Alicel Grease Monkeys. He is
a junior of La Grande High school
and plans to - enroll in college
when he is graduated.
In 1954. Dale won the junior
tractor contest at the county lev
el. In 1958, he won the senior
champion tractor driving contest
and at the state fair took third
place. Dale has served as1 club
president for three years and as
junior leader for two.
Union County Extension Agent,
James B. Hubcr says, "Dale has
been the top boy in our 4-H trac
tor Program for the last five
years." Dale states, "My experi
ence in tractor maintenance dur
iing six years of 4-H has saved
wear on the tractor and equip
ment and costly repair expenses."
LITTLE
VoPEOPLEV
COLORING
CONTEST
Honored
a plaque at the 37th annual
club congress. McNair represents the 4-H na
tional committee on boys and girls club work.
David Schaad of La Grande is with Case at
the convention.
Utah Home Fire
Fatal To Four
SNYDER VILLE, Utah (UPI)
Four children burned to death
early today when fire swept their
two-story frame farm home in this
tiny community three miles north
west of Park City in the northeast
section of Utah.
The victims were Christine, 8,
Paul, 6, Mart, 4, and Rex, about
2, sons and daughters of Dale and
Betty Durrant.
The fire apparently started from
a small space healing stove in
the kitchen of the home. The
house was heated by a coal fur
nace in the basement but it was
not believed to be the cause of
the fire.
Durrant, 28, a farmer, had made
the fire before beginning his morn
ing milking chores. Mrs. Durrant,
25, was still in her bedroom when
she smcllcd smoke.
. She said the doorway leading to
tlie rest of the house was blocked
by flames by the time she reached
the kitchen. She then ran outside
in her nighlclothcs to find her
husband.
Both parents ran back into the
house but were unable to reach
the ground floor bedroom where
two of tlie children had been
sleeping and could not climb the
stairway to the upstairs bedroom
where two other children perished.
'Package' Power
Reactor Dedicated
IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (UPI
A portable "package" power plant
reactor, which could provide el
ectricity and heat continuously at
isolated military posts without re
fuelling for three years, was ded
icated today on the lava bed des
ert of Eastern Idaho.
The dedication ceremony took
place at the Argonne National
Laboralorys Idaho site at the
Atomic Energy Commission's Na
tional Reactor Testing Station
near here on the 16th anniversary
of the birth of atomic energy.
It was in this same area that
the propulsion unit was developed
for America's atomic submarines
and where work is now proceeding
on nuclear aircraft propulsion.
Justice Frankfurter
Makes 'Good Recovery'
WASHINGTON UPH - Su
preme Court Justice Felix Frank
furter sat up in bed Monday and
is making a good recovery from
his heart ailment, his office re
ported. Frankfurter was hospitalized
last Monday. There is still no
word as to when he may return
to the bench. , .
The court is in recess this
week. It meets ugain Dec. 8..
Stand
Vote
Campaign
BERLIN (UPI) - Renewed
American pledges to fight an all
out war if necessary to maintain
the U.S. position in West Berlin
have boosted the chances of May
or Willy Brandt to win a smash
ing victory in Sunday's city elec
tions. On Sunday West Berlin's 1,050,-
000 electorate goes to the polls to
elect a new 127-seat city parlia
ment which in turn will elect a
mayor. Brandt's Social Democrat
Party has ruled since 1954 and his
strong position i.' Berlin and
Western support were raising his
stock. ' I
Ho was helped late Monday
when informed sources passed the
word in the city that the United
Slates would support its garrison
against any military attack by the
Communists against West Berlin
West Berlin newspapers accepted
it as the strongest pledge yet
It followed a declaration Sun
day by Gen. Henry I. Hodes,
American Army commander in
Europe, that the United States
would consider an attack against
the American garrison as an at
tack, against the United States.
. Sound trucks toured the streets
of West Berlin today urging the
citizens to get out and vote on
Sunday. From the trees of Ber
lin's once-e I e g a n t boulevards,
posters carried huge pictures of
the mayor and the slogan "Berlin
needs Willy Brandt."
Brandt's Social Democrat Party
has held 64 scats in the city par
liament since : 1954 as against 44
foro. tbe Christian . Democrats ot
Chancellor Konrad Adenauer and
19 for the Free Democrats (Liber
als). The Communists arc not
represented.
LoeqlManCited
After Wreck
A car driven by Glenn 'G. Wag'
ner of La Grande was completely
demolished in a wreck and by fire
near the Glover overhead about
3:30 p.m. yesterday, State Police
reported, this morning.
Wagner, traveling east oh High
way 30 at the time of the acci
dent, was not injured. The car
careened off the highway, over
an embankment and landed in a
creek. The car then burst into
flames.
Wagner was cited for- violation
of the basic rule. '
Boycott Ties Up
'Runaway' Ships
NEW YUKK IUP1) ADOUl 7!
flags of convenience" ships in
American ports were tied up to
day in a boycott called Monday
by two maritime unions.
Teamsters and longshoremen
failed to cross picket lines set up
by seamen in most U.S. ports
and in some foreign ports.
The National Maritime Union,
one of the unions involved, said the
first day's action in the United
States "indicates an effective blow
has been dealt the runaway ship
operators."
NMU members picketed at
least six ships in New York and
tliree in Portland, Ore. In Europe,
some ships were boycotted at most
major ports but not always with
success. The boycott was termed
eitective in most British ports.
Target of the boycott were ves
sels flying tlie Liberian, Panaman
ian, Honduran and Costa Rican
flags. The Seafarers' Internatioal
Union was a co-sponsor of the
demonstrations in the United
States but the worldwide boycott,
planned to last through Thursday,
was called by the International
Transport Workers Federation.
CHECK ARTIST AT WORK
A warrant is being issued today
by District Attorney George An
derson Jr. in connection with a
number of worthless checks pass
ed in this area Sunday and Mon
day. Checks cashed in La Grande and
Elgin totaled $345, Anderson re
ported. The worthless checks were
cashed in taverns and service
stations.
IKES VACATION ENDS
AUGUSTA, Ga. (UPD A jaunty
President Eisenhower shifts his
base of operations back to Wash
ington today to prepare for the
new session of Congress.,. .
U.S.
Aids
Mrs. O. Lentz
Enters Contest
Mrs. Orville Lantz of Island City
will replace Mrs. Elsie Komma as
I he Union county representative
in the Oregon Wheat Growers As
sociation cake bake-off at the
state meeting of tlie association
in Portland this weekend Wren
Case, Alicel, president of the
county association here, said yes
terday.
Case said Mrs. Komma will not
be able to make the trip due to
illness in the family. She won the
county title at the county fair
here in September. Mrs. Lantz
was runnerup.
The 31st annual meeting of the
wheat association is being held
this Thursday, Friday and Satur
day in the Multnomah hotel in
Portland. At the meeting repre
sentatives from over the state will
draft resolutions and study various
programs concerning the state
wheat growing industry. Case said
he and other association members
from Union county would attend
U.S. A-Plane
Delay Told
WASHINGTON (UPI) Chair
man Melvin Price (D-Ill.) of the
joint congressional atomic re
search subcommittee disclosed to
day U.S. scientists have reached
"a critical stage" in development
of a nuclear-powered plane.
He said the United States is in
a position "to push forward vig
orously to a successful conclu
sion" of the program.
He added that "the nation can
ill afford further delay and inde
cision" on the multi-million dollar
project. Such delay, sho declared
would v mean forfeiting once
again our technological leader
ship." Simultaneously Rep. August E.
Johansen (R-Mich.) called on the
House manpower utilization sub
committee to look into the possi
ble need for extra scientific man
power in the light of reports that
Russia has. developed an atomic
piano ahead of this country-
Price blamed "bureaucratic
snafus in Washington" for Amer
ica s failure so far to develop a
nuclear-powered plane. He said in
an angry statement the adminis
tration has consistently pulled the
rug from under scientists working
on the project.
Defense Department officials
continued to take a skeptical at
titude of a published report that
Russia already is flight-testing
the world's first atomic plane.
Their comments echoed the view
of Defense Secretary Neil H. Mc-
EIroy who doubted the report and
conceded only that Russia "may
have a slight lead over the United
Slates in this area.
East, West Hopeful
Of Ban Agreement
GENEVA (UPI) Both East and
West appeared hopeful today that
the atomic Big Three will be able
to agree on a treaty linking a ban
on nuclear tests with the control
system needed to muke it work.
The three-power nuclear confer
ence, down to brass tacks at last
after a month of haggling about
what it would discuss, meets to
try to extend the ground gained
at Monday's "useful and practi
cal" session.
Tlie 10 - nation surprise-attack
conference, still deadlocked after
three fruitless weeks, resumes its
efforts later today.
The progress achieved at tlie
nuclear conference was made pos
sible by an abrupt reversal in
Russia's position. The Reds, who
had been demanding an immedi
ate unconditional and permanent
ban on tests, suddenly yielded to
the Western insistence on effec
tive controls.
T. B. Salmon Reelected
Cemetery Director
T. B. Salmon, whose term ex
pires as a director for the La
Grando Cemetery Maintenance
District, was re-elected for anoth
er three-year term yesterday.
Salmon was the only candidate
who had entered a petition. Sal
mon received 29 voles. Wcldon
O. Marshall received one write-in
vote
NEUBERCER TO SPEAK
PORTLAND (UPI) Sen. Rich
ard L; Ncuberger (D-Ore) will be
keynote speaker at the Oregon
Wheat Growers League meeting
here Thursday through Saturday.
Money
Missing;
Man Held
LOS ANGELES (UPD A mild
mannered bank vice president to
day was held in jail on federal
charges of embezzling more than
$800,000 from the Sun Valley No
tional Bank.
John E. Petersen, 49, father of
two children, was arrested Mon
day by FBI agents at his home
in nearby Van Nuys on n com
plaint issued by U.S. Commission
er Theodore Hocke charging him
with a false entry in the bank
records.
Tolul bank shortages might
amount to more than one million
dollars, D.K. Brown, special agent
in charge of the FBI Los Angeles
office, said. Auditing of the books
continued today.
Petersen, who said he got his
start in the banking business in
Omaha, Neb., before coming here
in 1937, said after he was ordered
held in lieu of $35,000 bail:
"I don't have any of this mon
ey. I d like to know where it is.
The Sim Valley National Bank
was sold Suturday to the Security
First National Bank which is the
nation's sixth largest banking
chain.
Officials tor Security First said
they bought the bank to maintain
confidence of depositors and that
they knew about the alleged short
ages when they made the deal.
"There isn't any' danger 'that
depositors will lose anything) a
spokesman Said. He explained the
losses would bo covered by Fed
eral Deposit Insurance Corp. funds
or by excess earnings of the bank.
Phone Group
OK's Strike
SEATTLE (UPD Employes of
West Coast Telephone Co. Mon
day authorized the International
Brotherhood of Electrical Work
ers to take strike action if neces
sary to obtain their demands.
The union is seeking wage in
creases and Improvements in va
cation and sick leave benefits for
about 1,400 hourly workers in
Washington, Oregon and southern
California. -
W. L. Vinson, chairman of the
Northwest Communications Coun-
cil, said the employes authorized
the strike in a ballot vote, the
results of which were made
known Monday.
The union's working agreement
with West Coast expired Nov. 30.
Meetings with federal conciliators
Monday ended in a deadlock.
The two parties were to meet
again today and the company was
expected to make a revised pro
posal to tlie union.
The company has offered a
four-to-seven-cent hourly raise to
employes but the union is after
an increase which would amount
lo 10 .pents an hour in some
cases. ,
' jWv-'lf mil
f (3 If
EOC "MESSIAH" SOLOISTS Featured in the
Eastern Oregon College presentation of Han
del's "Messiah" will be (pictured from left)
accompanists Ardyce Garrett, pianist. Baker;
and Patsy Carpenter, organist, La Grande; and
soloists Eb Barrett, Yakima, Wash.; Evadne
Police Quiz Students;
Check On Arson Angle
CHICAGO i UPI i Police fanned
out through a grief-stunned West
Side neighborhood today to ques
tion students in the belief one of
them accidentally caused a fire
which killed 117 students and throe
nuns in a Roman Catholic school.
Police headquarters assigned 35
officers from the Austin Police
Station to the arson squad to as
sist in questioning boys whose job
it was to carry trash to bins near
a basement stairwell where the
fire apparently started.
Airlines Strike
Situation Eases
United Press International
The airlines strike situation
brightened today with the pros
pects of an early settlement of
the Trans World Airlines walkout
and continued service by Pan
American World Airways for at
least three months.
Leverett Edwards, chairman of
the National Mediation Board,
said in Kansas City that a quick
settlement of the TWA dispute
could be expected as soon as. ne
gotiators decided whether me
chanics promoted to foremen
should continue to accumulate
seniority rights.
Pan American's contract with
tlie Transport Workers Union,
representing 8,025 mechanics' and
flight service personnel, expired
at midnight Monday night without
a strike, The union, pledged Mon
day in state Supreme Court that
it would not conduct a strike or
slowdown until the mediation pro
cedures of the Railway Labor , Act
are exhausted eV perhaps' hot .for
three months or -morai-'
Prospects wero not so bright in
the nine-day-old Eastern Air Lines
strike. The Flight Engineers In
ternational Union, representing
550 striking engineers, turned
down a company arbitration offer
in Miami, Fin., Monday.
American Airlines, threatened
by a strike of 1,500 pilots, got an
other reprieve Monday when U. S.
District Court Judge Frederick
van Pelt Bryan decided in New
York to continue his hearing of
the company's complaint against
the Air Line Pilots Association.
Sputnik Ill's
Rocket To Fall
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (UPI)
The rocket of Russia's third Sput-
nick will probably plunge toward
earth in flames Wednesday morn-
ing, according to the Smithsonian
Astrophysical Observatory.
Dr. Luigi G. Jacchla said the
carrier probably would complete
about 2,890 trips around the world
before falling into the earth's at
mosphere about 4 a.m. p.s.t. Wed
nesday. The rocket, which went inlo or
bit around the earth with its sat
ellite May 15, will probably dis
integrate in flames when it comes
in contact with the earth's at mo
sphere.
The physicist said it could not
yet be accurately predicted over
whul section of the world the ob
ject would plunge earthward.
Authorities theorized that a pu
pil might have tossed a lighted
cigarette into the trash, setting
off Chicago's worst fire in 55
years. Tlie disaster brought con
dolences from Pope John XXIII.
The blaze swept Our Lady of
Angels Parochial School Monday
less than a half hour before class
es were to be dismissed at 3 p.m.
Tlie scaring heat and suffocating
miiiikl' twiiuii do ii is, ot uuya ciiiu ,
Ihrpn ninw Thi phiWIrpn rflnppH '
ill ago from 9 lo 15. Nearly 100
others were injured. - i
Coroner Walter McCarron de
ferred a "blue ribbon jury" inves
tigation of tlie fire in order to se
lect "the lop men, the best I can
find" to serve on the panel..
"In the face of such grim trag
edy it is imperative that we move
slowly and with firm determina
tion to learn the basic cause of
this tragedy," he said. ,
The coroner said he would cull
an inquest into the fire sometime
next week. i,
Of tlie injured, 82 remained hos-
puuuzuu luuuy. ruur were nuai .
death.. . ' ".
.Many of the children leaped
from windows on the upper floor
r it. . ....... - u..:i.i:. il.ij.
Ill I.I1H LWII-.-.III1 V UUHUlIlt!. . LIltHI
clothing and hair afire. Bystand:.
ors and firemen caught or broke
the fall of many of them. Others
smashed to the frozen ground and
were killed. Still others never left
their classroom, desks and were
found suffocated, seated in front,
of their "open books. . i
About 1,300 pupils were in the
section of the school that burned
and another 400 students were in
an unaffected section. The large
. hnilllntf ,whiit ' one! atViii1' mnal ; Jif
the fire .damage j -.was' built in 1910;
The annex was constructed within'
the last five years. . , ,
At ' the ' Vatican, Pope John
XXIII cabled his condolences to
the Chicago Catholic Archdiocese,
and offered his "apostolic bles
sing" to the sorrowing parents,
relatives and families of the vic
tims.
"We have been deeply an
guished in learning of the grave
disaster which has truck the Arch
diocese of Chicago," the pontiff
said.
Chief of Detectives Patrick Dee
ly ordered the arson squad to
"try to enlarge" on the theory
that a hastily discarded cigarette
might have touched off the trag
edy.
Driver Learns
To Park, Hard Way
A driver with a training permit
license learned to park the hard
way last night, according to a
city police record this morning.
Randi Gail Johnson of Sum
incrvillc, driving on a learner's
permit, was practicing parking on
Adams Avenue near Chestnut and
Depot streets about 11 p.m. yes
erday. A car driven by John D. Carl
.run of La Grande, was parked
m Adams avenue, according to
the report. -.-
There wasn't room for; both
cars. Dumage was minor, i
Kelsoe, La Grande; Janit Robertson, Forest
Grove; and Howard Anderson, La Grand.
The program it scheduled for Sunday, Doc. 7,
at 3 p.m. In the College coliseum, and is un
der the direction of Neil E. Wilson. (IOC
Photo)
i