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PORTLAND, ORE.. JULY 28, 1944
Commanding Officer Praises Negro
Personnel Who Served at Port Chicago
After Explosion Monday Night
Blood Bank
Negro Naval personnel attached to both the Naval maga
zine at Port Chicago, California, and the Naval ammunition
deoot at Mare Island Navy Yard, California, acquitted them
selves with “ great credit,” during the explosion at Port Chi
cago recently, according to Captain Merrill T. Kinne, U. S.
N. R., Commanding Officer.
“ Under those emergency conditions.” he said, “ regular
members of our complement and volunteers from Mare Island
displayed creditable coolness and bravery.”
Negro bluejackets comprise a large percentage of the Port
Chicago Naval establishment enlisted personnel.
Captain Kinne said it was diffi - ‘
cult to single out individuals who at that station last Monday night.
participated in rescue and pre
“ These men, in the months that
ventive operations at Port Chi they served at that command, did
cago. Four Negro enlisted men did, excellent work in an important
however, move boldly into a dan segment of the district’s overseas
ger area around boxcars loaded combat supply system. As real
with ammunition and quell flames, navy men, they simply carried on
he said.
in the crisis attendant on the ex
plosion, in accordance with our
service’s highest traditions.’’
The Twelfth Naval District of
the N avy Department this week
made public the names of 213
Naval personnel missing and pre
sumably dead in the explosion of
the U. S. Naval Magazine, Port
Chicago, Calif. The list contained
the names of nine naval officers,
203 naval enlisted personnel and
one Marine enlisted man. It did
not include merchant ship, naval
armed guard, Coast Guard or
civilian personnel.
The list of casualties may be
seen at the offices of the Portland
Inquirer, 2736 N. E. Rodney Ave.,
or Vanport 2410 N. Cottonwood,
apartment 505.
They were Richard L. McTere,
seamon, first class, of Detroit,
Mich.; William E. Anderson, sea
man, first class, of Chicago, 111.;
E. S. Allen, seaman, first class, of
Detroit; John Andrew Haskins,
pharmacist’s mate, third class, of
Washington, D. C.
Some 200 Negro sailors volun
teered at once at the ammunition
depot, Mare Island, for service at
Port Chicago during the emerg
ency.
Declaring their conduct out
standing, Captain Kinne named
the following men as having been
observed in courageous pursuit of
their duty: Richard E. Webb, gun
ner’s mate, second class, of Chi
cago; Bernard N. Clagett, gun
ners’ mate, second class, of Los
Angeles; Ivan A. Hoyle, motor ma
chinist’s mate, second class, of
Chicago; James A. Martinez, car
penter's mate, second class, of
Shreveport, Louisiana; Floyd E.
Scarborough, motor machinist’s
mate, third class, of Washington,
D. C.; Harry Fortune, seaman,
first class, of Philadelphia, Penn
sylvania; Wayman R. Nelson, mo
tor machinist’s mate, third class,
o f Kansas City, Kansas; Robert
Lee Williams, electrician’s mate,
third class, of Lexington, Ken
tucky; William T. Harris, shipfit-
ter. third class, ol Bloomfield, New
Jersey; William H. DeWitt, sea
man, second class, of Pittsfield,
Mass.; Edward Harrington, phar
macist’s mate, third class, of New
York City; Archie B. Covington,
hospital apprentice, first class, of
Chicago.
Statement of Rear Admiral
Carleton H. Wright. U. S. N.
Rear Admiral Wright, U. S. N.,
commandant of the Twelfth Naval
District, stated today:
“ I am gratified to learn, as was
to be expected, Negro peisonnel
attached to the naval magazine,
Port Chicago, performed bravely
and efficiently in the emergency
acquirer
Dr. Robert N. Joyner has asked
that Volunteers call his office to
have their Blood Typed in prepara
tion for any emergencies that may
arise when Blood Transfusions are
needed for our people.
Transfusions will be paid for at
the established rate.
For further i n t i mation catb VE
4404.
PRICE l .c
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NEGBO NEWSPAPER
NUM BER
5.
ELKS DONATE MEMBERSHIP
In a surprise event that will have far reaching conse
quences. the Billy Webb Lodge, No. 1050, I. B. P. O. E. of W.
bestowed full membership in the Lodge on the Editor of the
PO RTLAND INQUIRER. The occasion was their regular
semi-monthly meeting and followed the introduction of Mr.
Faulk to the members present by their Exalted Ruler, Willie
Lee Shine. The incident, unique in the annals of fraternization,
was breath taking in its magnanimity and superbly executed
✓ by this branch of the world’s largest Negro Fraternal Order.
--------------------------------------------- High-lighting this surprise affair.
------------------ ------------------------— was a speech by the Editor of the
Portland Inquirer in which he stated
that “ ownership of this new and dif
Portland Inq uirer
ferent newspaper rested wholly and
2 7 3 6 N . E. Rodney A venue
solely with him, rumors to the con
trary.” Among other things the
months and find
Please enter my subscription for
Elks were told that the colored pop
enclosed $ .......................................
ulation of Portland hnd not re
sponded as they should have to a
N a m e .............................................
periodical that is attempting to do
as much as the Portland Inquirer
Street A d d re s s .........................
to promote the welfare of the Negro.
The Elks then took the lead in the
City....................................
first mass subscription of their his
3 Months $1.25
One Year $5.00
6 Months $2.50
tory. As the suggestion of their E x
alted Ruler, the meeting was sus
pended while every man present
took out a subscription to the Port-
I land Inquirer. This is the kind of
support that the I. B. P. O. E. of W.
is famous for the world over. Let it
be some worthy Negro enterprise
within or outside of their ranks, the
Elks can always be depended upon
to give their whole-hearted support.
It is for this reason that the I. B. P.
O. E. of W. can claim the largest
membership among Negroes of any
fraternal organization in the world.
More power to the Elks of Port
land. we need more people like them
here.
SUBSCRIPTION ORDER
JUNE-LILLY SEXTETTE TO APPEAR HERE
RADIO STARS
RESIDENTS
OF PORTLAND
Portland music lovers will experi
ence a rare treat Sunday evening,
August 6, when the June-Lilly Sex
tette will make its initial appear
ance in a recital given at the Wom
an’s Club Auditorium, 1220 S. W.
Taylor street, at 8:30 P. M.
The group is made up of out
standing singers, some o£ whom
have appeared with nationally
known choirs throughout the states,
while other members of the sextette
are Portland’s own, and exhibit a
fine array of talent.
A pleasing variety of classical,
semi-classical, patriotic numbers
and spirituals will make up the pro
gram. Soprano soloists are Mrs.
Clarine Smith, Portland, and Mrs.
Mary Geneva Savage of New
Mexico .
The sextette is under the direc
tion of Mrs. M. L. Cabell, and rep
resents stars of radio and stage
Fiisl Negro Reserve
Officers Assigned to
Dnfv at Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor (D ela y ed )— The
first Negro Reserve Officers of the
Reading from left to right are: Mrs. Mignon Cabell, Mrs. Jimme U. S. Navy to be assigned to duty
Franklin, and Miss H. M. Lily. Miss Lily is the “ lady of the ivories’’,
outside the continental United
States have arrived in the Four
never before heard in Portland. The
To miss these sisters is to miss
teenth Naval District.
famous Lilly Trio is made up en the treat of a decade, we are not
The Negro officers on duty at
tirely of Portland’s own. three sis sure that they can be persuaded to
Manana Nava! Barracks, adjacent
ters who are very well known here reappear, it will be left to the pub
to the Pearl Harbor Navy Yard,
who have at last been persuaded lic. So it is up to you.
are: '
For reserved seats call the Port
to give a rendition of some of the
Ensign Jesse W. Arbor, U. S.
“ Numbers’’ that made them favor land Inquirer, W E 7220, or Vanport
N. R., 6220 St. Lawrence avenue,
ites on the radio stations of Okla Office, WE 1534, or Mrs. Clarine
Chicago, Illinois, and Warrant O f
homa and Texas.
Smith, 322 S. E. 8th avenue.
ficer Charles B. Lear, U. S'. N. R.,
1010 White street, Canton, Mis
souri. Both were members of the
first Negro officer class graduated
from the indoctrination school at
Great Lakes Naval Training Sta
tion, May 1, 1944.
Lieutenant Commander Grady
Avant, U. S. N. R., Commanding
Officer of the station, described En
sign Arbor and Warrant Officer
Lear as exemplary officers, capable
of handling their assignments.
A college graduate, Ensign Arbor
looks upon his new duties in a prac
In order to V O T E in the Fall Elections you first M U ST register. In order to reg
tical as well as philosophical man
ner. He explained that he began his
ister you will have to go to the County Court House.
duties in the N avy as an enlisted
To reach the County Court House take the Williams Ave. bus or the Alberta
man and understands the problems
trolley car or the Sellwood bus. Get off at Salmon Street (1000 S. W .) and walk
of the colored sailor.
two blocks east.
The Ensign is a graduate of
Arkansas
State College, class of
From St. Johns or Interstate bus transfer at Oak Street to the Mississippi bus
1935, and played tackle on the var
or Broadway trolley. Get off at Salmon Street and walk two blocks west.
sity football team. He pursued post
From Vanport ride bus to end of line (9th and O ak), walk east on Oak to Broad
graduate courses in social sciences
way and take the Broadway trolley or Mississippi bus. Get off at Salmon Street,
at Lewis Institute in Chicago, and
prior to entering the service, July
W alk two blocks west.
11, 1942, conducted a tailoring es
It costs you absolutely nothing to R EGISTER. Just say you came in to register.
tablishment in Chicago. Before be
Give your name and address and any other information that is asked of you. Say
ing commissioned he was on a mine
what party you want to register for (Republican or Democratic) and that is all
sweeper along the eastern coast. He
is 29 years old.
there is to it.
W arrant Officer Lear is a native
You are free to choose either party for which you want to register.
of Keokuk, Iowa, and is 28. He is a
DO N O T P U T IT O FF. R E G IS T E R N O W . I f you wait until later, you will prob
graduate of the high school in this
ably have to wait in line. So R E G IS T E R N O W while there is no rush. Even if you
home town and entered the service
do not think yon will be here for the election you can register now just in case yon
June 26, 1942, and prior to being
assigned to indoctrination school
are here.
was a company commander at Great
Lakes.
TO THE NEGROES OF MULTNOMAH COUNTY
Portland and Vanport City
Registration Is Now Open at the County Court House, 5th
Avenue and Salmon Street. Room 141