WEATHER
Fair through Sunday; high
Sunday 88-93; low tonight 43-48.
LA . GRAND
OBSERVER
296th Issue 63rd Year
LA GRANDE, OREGON. SATURDAY, AUGUST 8, 1959
Price 5 Cents
uins Of Roseburg Disaster
Probed For Victim's Bodies
E
;y'-- IT
!
'i y ACS 4
Gerald Sanford lifts a bale of hay onto a horse drawn
wagon on a farm near La Grande. Bill Tsiatsos drives
the team and stacks the bales on the wagon. While most
farms have mechanized equipment for almost every
chore an occasional drive on the backroads around the
Eisenhower To Meet
NATO Brass At Paris In Fall
WASHINGTON I'PI Presi
dent Eisenhower plans to meet
with top officials of the North
Atlantic Treaty Organization in
Paris in early September, the
White House announced today.
News .Secretary James C. Jfag
erty said the President will dis
cuss with NATO leaders, "im
portant aspects of the current
world situation of concern to the
North Atlantic Treaty Organiza
tion. "
The meeting, which appa-ently
will take place about Sept. 4. will
be with Joseph M. A. H. Luns.
Netherlands foreign minister and
president of the North Atlantic
Council, and Paul Henri Spaak.
secretary general of NATO.
The meeting with Luns and
Spaak means, in effect, that the
request from some NATO country
SUSPECT IN COP KILLING
GRABBED BY AUTHORITIES
SALT LAKE CITY (UPI Salt
Lake City police early today ar
rested a man wanted in connec
tion with last Wednesday's slaying
of a Hillsborough, Calif., police
. officer.
The suspect, identified as Alex
Robillard, 19, was picked up in
a hotel room here shortly after
he got off a bus he had ridden
here from Reno, Nev.
Police here had been tipped
that the suspect was en route to
Utah's capitol city by the San
(Mateo County sheriff's office.
He is wanted in connection with
killing officer Eugene Doran early
Wednesday.
Doran had radioed his dispatch
er asking for a check on license
plates of a car he was following.
The dispatcher discovered 'the
plates had been stolen but when
Steady Stream Of Messages Pour
In To Congratulate Elizabeth II
LONDON UPI Her people
told Queen Elizabeth in an almost
ceaseless stream of messages to
day that the news she would be
a mother again was delightful.
Commander Richard Colville,
Buckingham Palace press officei
and the man who announced yes
terday that the British monarch
was expecting a baby early next
year, said the congratulatory
messages were pouring in.
The expressions of joy were
summed up by Australian Prime
Minister Robert Menzies. who
said "we are all delighted."
Colville said the messages were
mainly from people in the Com
monwealth, with a large number
from Canada.
He said the congratulations
were coming from public offi
cials, leading citizens and private
individuals.
Some of the cables and tele
grams have been sent directly on
A PICTURE FROM
heads for a summit meeting of
all treaty organization nations has
been rejected.
Such a meeting had already
been vetoed in Paris by Frensh
President Charles de Gaulle.
Today's aanonncment was ex
pected to be followed by others
on the President's plans to meet
with West German Chancellor
Konrad Adenauer and Italian
Prime Minister Antonio Sogni.
The President's talk with Uins
and Spaak will be his only con
tact with the smaller of the 15
NATO nations before his top level
conversations with Soviet Premier
Nikita Khrushchev who is visit
ing the United States Sept. 15.
White House. State Department,
and Soviet officials, meanwhile,
went to work to hammer out de
tails of the forthcoming series of
he tried he couldn't raise Doran.
Other police officers found the
lawman lying beside his patrol
car 20 miles south of San Fran
cisco, shot six times with a .32
revolver.
Hobillard was picked up short
ly after he registered with an
alias name in the Upland Hotel
here. .
San Mateo authorities said Ro
billard was armed and Considered
dangerous.
Robillard offered no resistance
when he was captured. Detectives
entered the man's hotel room
while he was in bed. When he
looked up, he was surrounded by
officers. Meanwhile, a man answering
the description of Robillard held
up a motorist in Belmont. Calif
late last night.
to Balmoral Castle in the Scottish
Hills, where the Queen is begin
ning a holiday that will keep her
from London until ca-ly October.
The Queen has not been seen by
tourists near the castle since the
news was announced Friday.
She is expected to attend Sun
day morning service in the tiny
village of Crathie, Near Balmoral.
Friday's announcement that the
33-year-old Queen "will under
take no further engagements" for
the time being automatically can
celled her scheduled trip to Ghana
and her customary appearance at
the opening of Parliament.
Prime Minister Harold Macmil
lan. who had been expected to
call a parliamentary election in
October so the Queen could open
the new Parliament before leav
ing for Ghana Nov. 12, now may
wait until November,
OUT OF THE
valley will produce scenes familiar to many an old timer
and widen the eyes of youngsters. Although the picture
is from the past, the balloon tires on the wagon bring
the scene up to date. (Observer Photo)
With Top
visits. Hagerty said announce
ments could be expected almost
any time concerning various
phases of the President's trip to
Europe later this month and the
later exchange of visits with
A New York congressman urged
the President to visit West Berlin
on his trip to Europe later this
month.
Rep. Samuel S. Stratton (D
N.Y.I said in a telegram to the
President that a visit by him to
the former German capital would
emphasize "our determination to
stand firm in Berlin."
He said such a visit would show
the world there had been no slack
ening in the U.S. position despite
the invitation for Soviet Premier
Khrushchev to come to this coun
try next month.
The White House announced
yesterday that Eisenhower will
fly to Europe Aug. 28 for talks
with British Prime Minister Har
old Macmillan in London and
French Charles de Gaulle in
Paris.
Baker Stock Car Races
For Sunday Cancelled
The stock car races schedule)
for the Baker track tomorrow have
been cancelled according to Em
Smock, racing ofiicial at the
La Grande track.
The insurance on the Baker track
hasn't arrived from Llovd's nf
London and officials were forced
to cancel the meet. Races will
be held in Baker July 22.
ATOMIC CONTRACT SIGNED
PARIS (UPD Euratom, the
six-nalion European atomic pool,
Friday signed a three-year con
tract to help France finance a
nine million dollar program of re
search into nuclear fusion.
QUEEN ELIZABETH II
Expecting Baby
PAST
HIS PAINTING
WAS TOO MUCH
LOS ANGELES UPI Mrs.
Edgar L. Rict, 38, told a di
vorce judge she refuted a
reconciliation with her 41-year-old
housepeinter hus
' bend, because of the way he
used hit paints.
Mrs. Rice said he painted
signs on his car reading
"Mwn wants a divorce, I
don't," and "My wife is the
: meanest womu . oit eai-hV
and won't let me see my
son," and parked the car in
front of their Whittier, Calif.,
home.
Said Mrs. Rice: "I've had
It."
Sunday Final
Performance
Of Local Play
Jack Kye who plays the part of
Joe Meek in Al Kaiser's "Doctor
In Buckskin Clad" admitted to
some apprehension in last
night's performance with direct
descendants of the pioneer in the
audience. A near capacity crowd
saw the performance.
Helen Mar Meek and her father
Fred Mek were introduced by
director Dick Hiatt at the begin
ning of the play. As "Miss Pio
neer Oregon," Joe Meek's great
granddaughter spoke of the role
that her ancestors had placed in
the early settlement of the Oregon
territory.
The final performance of the
play will be tonight and tomor
row night at 8 p.m. in thfe college
coliseum.
The musical score was impres
sive and its composer, vta'iace
Johnson formerly of Union and now
of Salem, was also there for the
performance.
The cast of the play will be trav
eling to independence, Ore., to
make a one-night presentation of
the play In conjunction with the
arrival of the Oregon Centennial
wagon train.
Hiatt and Rhodes Lewis, who is
directing the music, will leave a
few days ahead of the cast and
arrange mechanical elements and
rehearse an orchestra and chorus
made up of people from that area
Stanton Griffis
Is In Hospital
new yukk LPI Former
U. S. Ambassador Stanton Griffis
rested at New York Hospital to
day after returning from Italy to
undergo treatment for two broken
ribs and internal injuries suffered
in a fall in a Venice hotel.
Griffis, who is 72, was reported
to be in good condition. He ar
rived at Id lew i Id Airport Friday
night and was driven in his car
to the hospital. He immediately
was taken to a private room in
a wheelchair.
Griffis was accompanied by his
physician who flew to Italy to es
cort the former diplomat back to
the United States. Griffis was in
hired several days ago when he
slipped on marble step in tm
hotel suite and fell. .
Swimmers
Competing
Here Today
A record crowd was expected
for the third annual Eastern
Oregon Swimming and 'Diving
Championships being held this
lfttH-noon at the Veterans Me
morial Pcol.
Compiling for team and in
dividual honors at the annual
'.vent, highlight of the district's
swimming program for (he season.
were the swim clubs of Hermiston.
last year's winner; Pendleton, 157
titleholders, and La Grande.
Added to the pool's bleachers
last night by a crew composed
of Howard Fisk, Ellis Scott, Jim
Phillips and Lai" Feik were two
sections, obtained from the Javcee
race track. The new sections will
seat ubout 100 fans.
A new casualty to (he growing
list of illness cases on (he La
Grande team was reported last
night. - She is Sharon Beickel,
under treatment for a number of
days for strep throat. She has
been scratched from four events
and will be lost to the team for
the meet.
Other illness casos, reported yes
terday, may see limited action
today. They are Margaret Greg
ory, Art Samson, Jim Hilary and
Mike .Challis.
One of the highlights of the 50
cvent meet will be th? appear
ance of the team's water ballet
group in a new routine. The group
of 10 girls is led by Manlee Mep
pen and Dot Ann Anson.
The championships will b? cli
maxed tonight by a Youth Activi
ties Council Teenage dance at the
Armory, starting at 8:30 oclock
The dance is open to all young
people of the area, including mem
bers of the visiting teams. A small
admission chargs will be made!
Dancing will be unlil 11:30 p.m.
100 Drown As
Flash Floods
Hit Formosa
TAIPEI (l!PP Central For
mosas worst rainsiorm in ou
years caused flash floods Friday
which drowned nearly too persons.
Hundreds more, swept away by
the flood waters, are officially
missing.
More than 70 villages were
flooded. Some of them have not
yet been heard from, and it is
believed that the death toll win
climb as reports are received
from them.
Seventeen inches of rain
drenched the central portion of
the Chinese Nationalist fortress.
island, flooding thousands of acres
of farmland and blocking rail
ways and highways.
There was no immediate esti
mate of the extent of the damage.
Nationalist warplanes and heli
copters swept the countryside to
day, seeking survivors and drop
ping supplies to isolated commu
nities. ,
Swanky Suite
For Grandma
At Trek's End
PORTLAND (UPD Grandma
Emma Gatewood of Gallipolis,
Ohio, had quarters in one of
Portland's swankiest hotels today
and the management said it
wasn't worried about the bill.
The 71-year-old hiking great
grandmother arrived here Friday
from Independence. Mo. to see
the O'egon Centennial. She start
ed in May and walked every step
of the way, even beating the Cen
tennial wagon train which started
out b mouth earlier. The wagon
train arrived at The Dalles today,
83 miles east of here.
After Friday's greeting by Ma
yor Terry Schrunk and thousands
of cheering spectators, the sun
tanned, slight grandma was
whisked to the Oregon Centennial
grounds in a convertible with a
police escort.
Aside from free , lodging and
dining at the hotel, Mrs. Gate
wood gets fresh flowers in her
room every day. has a red con
vertible at her disposal, received
a wardrobe, and was given free
treatments for her weary feet.
She also got a new pair of shoes,
after discarding the seventh pair
worn out on the 2.0U0-mile trip.
GOT PROBLEMS?
TAKE A WALK
Charles Snyder had a prob
lem but a little walk solved It
for him.
Snyder, 304 Washington St.,
walked out of his house last
night betwan 11 and 11: JO and
discovered his car was gone.
Needing a little exercise,
Snyder started walking to the
police station to report the in
cident. On the comer of
Walnut and Adams Snyder
found his car. The brake was
set and apparently the car
had been pushed or rolled from
in front of his house.
With his car safe and sound
Snyder drove home, called the
police and reported an attempt
ed auto theft.
Fifteen Still
In Hospitals
In Roseburg
ROSEBURG (UPI) Fifteen
persons remained in two Rose
burg hospitals today with injuries
suffered in Friday's disastrous
explosion and fire here. Some re
mained in poor to serious critical
condition.
In addition, one youth, James
Siles. 15, Roseburg, was taken to
Sacred Heart hospital in Eugene.
His condition today was listed as
critical.
Ten persons were at Douglas
Community hospital and five at
Mercy hospital.
Virginia Lee Kuykendall. 4, a
patient at Douglas Community,
died late Friday from injuries
suffered in the explosion. Her
mother, Lela Belle Kuykendall,
was listed in critical condition
and her father. Alvin, and sister.
Janet, were in serious condition.
Others at Douglcs Community
hospital included: Lee Townsend,
critical; Carl May Marical, 31,
condition poor; Lauretta Rusher,
15, Bremerton, Wash., fairly
good; George Rutherford, 47, Che
halis, Wash., fairly good; Rollin
McDonald fairly good; Mary Un
ralh, fairly good, and Keith War
ner, fairly good. ,
Still being treated at Mercy hos
pital were Harold Bailey, 58;
Myrtle Bailey. 81; Lyle Wescott;
Vera Washington, 50, and Soma
Patlon.
Injured Girl
Tells Horror
Of Explosion
KOSEBUKU (UPI) Bremer
ton, Wash., schoolgirl Lauretta
Rusher, 15, who was injured in
the explosion early Friday said in
Community hospital "it was hor
rifying . . . I'll never forget."
The girl arrived here late
Thursday with 33 girls and boys
from Bremerton en route to Los
Angeles for a First Christian
Church religious meeting.
This was the trip's first stop.
Lauretta and a companion, Lor
raine Ross, 17, were assigned to
spend the night with the William
Unrath family. Unrath is missing
and feared dead in the blast.
The girls were asleep when the
explosion occurred and the Un
rath house was badly hit. The
girls managed to get to the roof
and an unidentified man came
and drove them to the hospital.
Lauretta suffered leg injuries
and was listed in "fairly good"
condition. Miss Ross was not hos
pitalized.
REAPS IMPORTANT INFORMATION
Scientists Pleased With
Performance Of Satellite
WASHINGTON (UPI) Scien
tists reported today they were
highly pleased with (he first day's
performance of Explorer VI, the
Paddlewheel satellite fired into
orbit Friday.
The jubilant scientists said that
the new addition to America's
space achievements already had
reaped information of vast im
portance to future rocket probes
of the moon and planets.
The successful launching height
ened the likelihood of a rocket
"moon mission" in October and a
ASHES ARE SENT TO STATE
LABORATORY FOR TESTS
ROSEBURG (UPI) The ruins of one of Oregon's worst
disasters were searched today for the remains of more vic
tims feared creamated when six tons of dynamite and am
monium nitrate were touched
The known death toll was
were missing and presumed
Carry said "we are positive
rm nfmirf tho fin.il toll mav be be-
tween 25 or 30.'
The Red Cross, in a prelimi
nary damage estimate, listed four
apartment houses destroyed
Carry said "we know there were
people in those places
Alhet Soon
The deputy coroner said some
ashes, believed to be remains of
human bones, were sent to the
state crime laboratory. Other ash
es were spotted in the rubble.
Carry said ashes from bones are
a different color and that the
odor indicated there were more
bodies.
Fifteen persons remained hos
pitalized here and one at Eugene.
Four of them were in critical
condition. One victim, a four-year-old
girl, died in a hospital.
Only five of the nine bodies re
covered from the ruins had been
identified.
The blast leveled eight square
blocks and engineers checked
other buildings to see if they were
in danger of crumbling.
The Red Cross, in a prelimi
nary survey, listed about 350 busi
nesses damaged. Many near the
blast center were destroyed. Six
hotels were closed. The survey
said 11 homes were destroyed, 35
suffered major damage and about
250 had minor damage.
Carry said some of the ruins
were still so hot that no search
of them could be made today.
Deep Crater
A 15-foot deep crater about SO
feet in diameter marked the place
where driver George Rutherford
parked his six-ton load of dyna
mite and a mixture of ammonium
nitrate and diesel oil. A fire In a
warehouse nearby set off the
truck.
Downtown area four blocks long
and two blocks wide was "pretty
well leveled and gutted by fire,"
Police Chief Vernon Murdock
said. City Manager John Warbur-
ton estimated the total loss at 10
million dollars.
Acting Gov. Walter Pearson
flew here from the capital at
Salem. He said the disaster's cost
was "by far the greatest this
state has ever experienced."
Sens. Wayne Morse and Richard
See ROSEBURG On Page o
Bloodmobile Due
In La Grande For
Tuesday Drawing
"We never know when we might
have a disaster like Roseburg and
we better have blood,'' said Mrs.
T. B. Lumsden, executive secre
tary of the Union County Red
Cross.
"We have only about half en
ough" people signed up for the
Tuesday drawing, Mrs. Lumsden
said.
The Bloodmobile will be in La
Grande Tuesday from 1:30 to 6:30
p.m. at the Armory.
"Drop-in donors" will be wel
comed and can probably be han
dled faster between two and three
o'clock.
Transportation for donors on
Tuesday can be arranged by call
ing either the American Red Cross
or the Armory.
Type O blood Is particularly
needed.
probe millions of miles Into space
tentatively scheduled for Novem
ber. It also raised the possibility of
a rocket shot toward Mars when
the red planet is in a suitable
position Oct. I, 1960, and toward
Venus In 1961.
Explorer VI. nicknamed the
Paddlewheel because of four paddle-shaped
solar cell vanes, was
launched into the longest flattest
orbit ever achieved by an earth
satellite.
The orbit extends 25.000 statute
miles from earth at its farthest
point and within 150 miles at its
off by fire.
10 and three more persons
dead. Deputy Coroner Russ
there are other victims and
Pearson
Commends
Residents
SALEM (I'PI) Acting Cov.
Waller J. Pearson said Friday,
night the Host-burg explosion was
one of the "worst disasters which "
has ever occurred in the state of
Oregon."
Pearson, who flew to Roseburg
Friday with Warne Nunn, Cov.
Mark Hatfield's executive assist
ant said that "the loss in proper
ty is by far the greatest the
state has ever experienced."
He said the total property loss
probably would run in excess of
10 million dollars.
"At this time we know of nine
fatalities. I am hopeful the num
ber will not grow very much, if
any." But he added that many
ruins had not been checked be
cause of the intense heat. '
Pearson said the people of
Roseburg are to be commended
in the highest possible terms for
the courage and relative calm
they have displayed.
Hatfield Flying
To Stricken City
PORTLAND (UPI) Gov.
Mark Hatfield was due at Port
land International airport this af
ternoon from the annual gover
nors' conference in San Juan,
Puerto Rico. He planned to fly to
Roseburg later in the afternoon.
Hatfield first received word of
the disastrous explosion when his
plane touched down Friday in
Memphis, Tenn. He issued this
statement:
"To the families of those who
have suffered this tragic loss,
may I extend deepest sympathy.
I have been in touch with develop
ments and the responsible forces
which have moved into the situa
tion. I have every confidence in
those who are in charge."
Oregon's Solons Seek
Federal Help For City
WASHINGTON (UPli Ore
gon's two senators requested aid
from President Eisenhower Fri.
day in the Roseburg disaster.
Sen. Wayne Morse (D-Ore.) also
sent requests for aid to the Fed
eral Housing Administration in
Portland and the Portland branch
of the Small Business Adminis
tration asking them to look into
the possibility of aid.
Sen. Richard L. Neubereer (1).
Ore.) wired President Eisenhow
er urging federal assistance.
PREMIUM BOOK SENT
Premium books for th ITnUn
county fair have been sent out
to people who have entered the
fair in previous years.
All those people who would like
a copy of the book may get one
free of charge by contacting the
Chamber of Commerce or Baum
Insurance.
closest approach. It takes 1214
hours to complete each full cir
cuit.
The 142-pound satellite, roughly
the size and shape of a medicine
ball, blasted off Friday morning
atop a Thor-Able III rocket pack
ing 150.000 pounds of. thrust,
On Its first trip around the
earth, the orbit carried the paddle-wheeler
over South Afrir. -t
the highest point and over Singa
pore at me lowest.
It is the most complicated sci
entific instrument ever dimt.kt
on a space mission at least bv
ik. rn.t.j ... '
urc vmivu Main,