Basketball
The climax of the basket
ball season, the state tour
lament, la here. The States
man brings yoa the tonrn&a
ttent news hours ahead.
.. The leather .
Occasional rain today and
Saturday, cool; Max. Temp.
Thursday 83, MIn. 31; river
-3 feet, rain .03 inch, sooth,
southwest wind. '
POU NDDO 1651
EIGHTY-SIXTH YEAR
Salem, Oregon, Friday Morning:, March 19, 1937
Price 3c; Newsstands 5eL
No. 307
oil Is
- ; . ' : " 'WV' t - V"'.-': m
! TiY
e. Mast
Over
7
Salem Beaten;
Semi-Finals in
Tourney x4head
Bellfountain, Franklin,
Lincoln, McLoughlin
to Clash Tonight
Railsplitters Too Lofty
for Vikings Who Put
Up Tight Defense
TOURXEY GAMES TODAY
10 o'clock Astoria vs. Ath
ena. .
11 o'clock LaG r a n d e vs.
McMinnville.
2 o'clock Eugene ts. Chil
oqain. S o'clock Ashland vs. Sa
lem. ':
Semi-finals
7:30 o'clock B ell fountain
s. Franklin.
8:30 o'clock McL o a g hlln
ts. Lincoln.
SCORES YESTERDAY
Amity 13, Athena 25.
Astoria 44, Mllwaukie 30.
LaGrande 32, Klamath Falls 21.
; McMinnville 42, North Bend 21.
Bellfountain 39. Chiloquin 21."
Franklin'26, Eugene 24.
McLoughlin 34, Ashland
. Lincoln 20, Salem 15.
26.
By PAUL HAUSER
Lincoln high of Portland, its
heighth too much for even a ball
hawking crew like the Vikings,
defeated Salem 20 to 15 last
night to complete the list of four
teams yet undefeated which will
vie tonight in the semi-final
round of the state - high 'school
basketball tournament.
Lincoln, of the four, teams the
only one not a semi-finalist last
year, will meet McLoughlin to
night after Franklin and Bell
fountain fight It out for the final-.
1st berth in the upper bracket.
McLoughlin -qualified by defeat
ing Ashland 34 to 26 last night in
one of the most smoothly played
games of the tourney.
Franklin provided the biggest
surprise and the greatest thrills of
the tournament when It defeated
Eugene, touted as the coming
champion. 26 to 24 in a game In
which a last-second field goal de
cided the issue.
Bellfountain Again .
State B Champion
Bellfountain breezed easily
through Chiloquin to win both the
B championship and its second
try in the tournament semi-finals.
Relegated to the list of, those
who tried and lost were the four
teams given their first defeat yes
terday. With fourth place their
goal they will meet in two games
this afternoon. Eugene plays Chil
oquin at 2 o'clock and Ashland
meets Salem at 3 o'clock.
Amity, Mllwaukie. Klamath
Falls and North Bend were drop
ped from the running yesterday as
they all lost their second games
and were automatically retired to
the sidelines. In the consolation
bracket Astoria will meet Athena
at 10 o'clock this morning and
LaGrande will play McMinnville
at 11.
All-Portland Final
Distinct Possibility
With two Portland teams,
Franklin and Lincoln, in the semi
finals, . possibilities were strong
that for the first time In history
there will be an all-Portland fi
nal. Franklin was a finalist last
year.
Height that enabled Lincoln to
control the tipoft and keep pos
session of backboard rebounds,
plus a tight sone defense, proved
too much for the spunky Salem
team.
"Ahead 5 to 0 before Salem
scored, Lincoln, checking the Vik
ings way out with Its sone de
fense, kept its lead throughout the
game despite Salem's ceaseless
ball-hawking.
With both teams using the xone
(Turn to page 13, Col. 1)
Frank Riggi Sues
Oswego Ex-Judge
OREGON CITY, March 18 -")-irank
Rlggl, Salem boxer, filed
suit In circuit court today for
12800 against H. Fred Septka,
former justiee of the peace at
Oswego.
Rlggl alleged he was Injured
and his automobile damaged in a
collision with a car operated by
Septka near Aurora on January 6.
He named Victor A. Sidor, owner
of the machine, the co-defendant.
Septka, indicted for embeKle
ment In connection with the Jus
tice of the peace office at Oswego,
Is scheduled to appear at the
Woodburn Justice court tomorrow
to answer to charges growing out
ot the auto crash.
Recently police found a note
bearing Septka's name on the
Marlon-Polk county bridge indi
cating he planned to take his own
life. Later he was reported at
Oakland, Calif. Last week police
arrested him at Portland on a
Clackamas county warrant.
VIKINGS ANjF
1 7
IS
Above, the Salem high basketeers who upset McMinnville the first Alght of the state tournament and
then bowed to Lincoln in a close-checking game Thursday night. Top row, from left. Manager Car
kin, Gallaber, Hill, Maerz, Chambers, Coach Harold Hauk. Lower row, Lowe, Wickert, Medley, TJp
ston, Maynard. Lower picture, the Eugene Axemen, victims of a Frank Merrlwell upset at the hands
of Franklin. From left. Baker, Kilbora, Hamer, Igoe, McNeese, Stevenson, Caven, Austin, Coach
Fritz' Kramer. ' . .
All on WPA Sent
Copies of
Hopkins 'Address in Favor
of Court Plan Mailed,
Griffith Explains
PORTLAND. Ore., March 18-(Jpy-The
Oregonian tonight quot
ed E. J. Griffith, Oregon WPA ad
ministrator, as confirming that
15,000 copies of a speech by Har
ry Hopkins, federal administrator.
favoring the president's proposed J
supreme court plan, had been sent
to WPA employes in the state.
The administrator explained,
the newspaper said, that the
speech, given March 1, was too
long fori inclusion in the WPA
magazine which goes regularly to
all workers, and the 15,000 mim
eographed .copies were prepared
to supplement the regular issue
of the magazine.
"Sending out a speech by the
head of our staff is not political,"
Griffith was quoted. "It is a mat
ter of routine to advise workers
of his attitude on a social ques
tion of interest to them."
Asked if he had urged employes
to communicate with congress,
the newspaper Bald, Griffith re
plied: !
"Probably, in the course of con
versation. I have talked with sev
eral persons about the matter and
suggested to some that they com
(Turn to page 2, coL 1)
Cofferdam Leaks
At Coulee Fought
" GRAND COULEE DAM, March
1 SHFVGialU pumps fought a los
ing battle tonight against water
which ran through a broken cof
ferdam cell and led indirectly to
the death of a workman.
I Austin . McAfee, of Kelso, was
crushed to death last night by a
big truck I during feverish at
tempts to plug the leak In the
dike. . : ' i' '
i The lake behind the coffer
dams, where the riven flowed be
fore diversion, was rising tonight
at the rate of a foot an hour. The
M-W-A-K company, builder of the
Grand Coulee dam project, added
a second 9,0 00-gallon a mlnuto
pump to the front line battery. .
Speech
Bellfountain Is B Champion
Second Time; Tops Chiloquin
Bellfountain became state B
champion for the second year
yesterday as it defeated Chiloquin
39 to 21 to complete its breeze
through the B bracket.
Coach Bill Lemmon's lads from
Benton county will now enter
competition with A teams In the
tourney . semi-finals where they
meet Franklin high of ; Portland
at 7:30 o'clock tonight. ,
Bellfountain last year lost to
Corvallis in the semi-finals and
then went on to down McLoughlin
for third place.
Chiloquin : gave - Bellfountain
little trouble and the Benton coun
XEMEN UPSET VJCTIMS
Danger of Flying
Kite Near Power
Line Is Stressed
A graphic portrayal of the dan
gers of flying kites near power
lines was set up in the window of
the Portland General Electric com
pany store at 237 North Liberty
street yesterday. The exhibit shows
three of the kites which caused
as many short circuits of 11,000
volt lines within the last month, a
street scene depicting such an oc
currence, and a clinker formed by
mixture of molten copper from a
fallen line with soil.
The street scene shows a high
tension line melted in two, an
automobile damaged by the fallen
wires and a doll kits flyer lying in
the street, still clutching his tin
sel kite string.
"We put In the exhibit to show
what this kite flying near power
lines means," District Manager
W. M. Hamilton said. "I hope all
children will come down town and
see Just what can happen."
Dykstra Selected
Wisconsin Leader
MADISON, Wis., March- 1S-(JF)
-University of Wisconsin regents
appointed Clarence Addison Dyk
stra president of the Institution
today. ? "
Under a one-year contract, the
54-year-old Cincinnati city mana
ger and former university profes
sor will take office July 1, suc
ceeding Dr. Glenn Frank, whose
11-year tenure ended in his ouster
on charges of administrative In
efficiency. ?
Dykstra will receive $15,000 a
year and certain expenses. Dr.
Frank' received $20,000 and ex
penses when he came here in 1926,
but the salary was trimmed grad
ually to $15,000. At Cincinnati,
Dykstra received $25,000 annu
ally. Teachers Get Raise
OREGON CITY, March 18-SV
Park Place grade school teach
ers have been reelected for nexK
car wiiu a per cent Biliary tyn
creases.
ty team took an early lead.: With
victory in the bag Bellfountain
played a looser game than It had
the previous day, and took Chilo
quin In stride.
Kessler Is Again
Team's Top Scorer
Led again by big Bunny Kessler,
who scored 1 points to make his
tournament total SC. Bellfountain
grabbed a IS to S lead by the end
of the quarter and made it 24 to
9 by half time.
Wallace, plunking In long shots,
accounted for 11 points while the
rest of the Bellfountain lads took
(Turn to page 13, Col. 6)
1
Law School Deans
Favor Court Plan
Opposition Learns One Is
Candidate For Bench
of Appeals Court
WASHINGTON, March 18--The
deans of two university law
schools, appearing today at a tur
bulent hearing In which senators
snapped and glowered at each
other, called for the enactment of
the Roosevelt court reorganiza
tion proposal.
Dean Thomas F. Konop ft No
tre Dame described the measure
as a "safety valve to save the su
preme court and its jurisdiction."
unless it is enacted, he said, an
"outraged" people will put
-through an amendment "sweeping
the supreme court out of the con
stitutional picture."
Dean Leon Green of Northwest
ern urged passage of the bill to
obtain a "reinterpretation of the
constitution" and provide a "fair
supreme court."
In the course of a sharp cross
examination. Senator O'Mahoney
(D.-Wyo.) asserted that the bill
held only a "pious hope" that
such a reinterpretation would en
sue. Green disagreed.
With an air of triumph, oppo
sition senators confronted Green
with assertions that his prepared
statement had been submitted to
the justice department for revi
sion and that he was a candidate'
for appointment to the bench of
the circuit court of appeals. He
denied both contentions.
McReynolds Bill
Passed by House
WASHINGTON. March 1S.-VP)
-The house smashed the McRey
nolds neutrality bill to passage
today over all opposition, 374 to
12.
The republicans and some dem
ocrats sought vainly to make more
rigid a provision granting wide
discretion to the president to set
up a cash and carry system for
handling war material shipments
o nations at war.
Backers ot the'leglslatlon made
hut one Imnnrtant rntiroRofnn on
the cash and carry provisions
an amendment limiting their op
eration to two years.
Two Pedestrians
Injured Slightly
Helen F. Smith, 22, 430 North.
Liberty street, and Florence
Weidmer, 574 North Cottage,
were struck but apparently not
seriously Injured by an automo
bile driven by Forrest Ivan Gist,
Cloverdale, at the Center and Lib
erty street Intersection at C o'clock
last night.
Both women, suffering mainly
from bruises and shock, were re
ported resting well at Salem Gen
eral hospital early today. '
City police released Gist on
$50 ball after arresting him on
a charge of falling to give right
of way to a pedestrian.
Amelia Trims
Speed Record
Honolulu Trip
Less Than lt Hours for
2400 Miles; Clipper
Comes in Later
Rest Taken Before Next
Hop to Howland Isle
on World Circuit
HONOLULU, . March 18-ZV-
Amella Earhart's 180.000 "labor
atory plane' streaked -h, to Hono
lulu today ahead of two big sky
clippers to set a speed record In
her 2400-mile dash from Oakland,
out delayed nntil tomorrow a
flight to Howland Island, second
stage of her world flight.
: "I'm terribly tired," she said.
adding that she wanted to await
better flying weather.
Miss Earhart told reporters she
bad stuck to the controls most of
the night, relinquishing -them to
Paul Mants, her technical adviser,
only as the speedy ship approach
ed Wheeler field for a landing.
Seems Longer, Says
Amelia, But Isn't
Amid the cheers of several hun
dred early morning spectators,
(Turn to page 2, col. 2)
Conference Hears
Policy For Power
Public Agencies to Have
First Call, Declared
by WPA Official
EUGENE, Ore . March H.-VP)
-Problems pertaining to the dis
tribution of power to be generated
at Bonneville dam were consid
ered today at the opening session
of the commonwealth conference
on the University of Oregon cam
pus here.
E. R. Foley, Jr., general coun
sel for the WPA, and representa
tive of the president's committee
on national power policies, said
that under the committee's recom
mendations states, counties, muni
cipalities and cooperative associ
ations would be given first chance
of utilizing the power. The TVA.
he added, has set the precedent
for such a policy.
He described the federal pro-
I gram as designed to stimulate in-
u us try ana reueva uuciuyiujwcuii
and not to destroy private Indus
try In the power field.
Ormond R. Bean, chairman of
the state planning board, outlined
the board's recommendations that
the power be marketed to the best
Interests of public agencies and
industry, and that a market study
precede establishment of policies
and rates.
Helen Wills Love
Regains Normalcy
LOS ANGELES. March li-JPy-Helen
Wills Love was quoted to
night by The Los Angeles Times
as saying, when she was aroused
from her strange trance:
"I want to go back where I
was, away from staring eyes, fin
gers that point at me, crying
You're guilty you must pay. "
The Times Baid the woman con
victed of shooting to death the
man she said was her secret hus
band, added:
"But now that I'm back, I
mean to make a fight of It a
fight for my acquittal."
The Times Interview continued,
in part:
"I can't believe that a week
has passed. I keep thinking it's
last Friday (the day she went
into her sleep).
"There were no dreams. It was
very peaceful."
Pedestrian Killed
PORTLAND, Ore.. March 28-(A)-Charles
Larson, 62, was kill
ed tonight when struck by a car
which police said was driven by
Donald T. Willis. 17.- Two wit
nesses said Larson was not on the
crosswalk.
Late Sports
DAYTONA BEACH. Fla.. March
1 9.-( Friday )-fls)-S a m Breadon.
president ot the St. Louis Cardin
als, early today said 'that Dizzy
Dean had wired him he had signed
his contract and would report for
spring training today.
Breadon did not disclose the
terms, although It is understood
the Cardinals had offered Dean
$24,000. .
SEATTLE, March 18.-P-The
Washington state high school bas
k e t b a 1 1 tournament narrowed
down tonight to Wenatchee, Wal
la Walla. Everett and' Dayton for
the semi-finals of the champion
ship.
Worst Disaster in U.S. History
Involving Children; Scenes of
Horror imTexas Town Related
Fire Is Raging
In Auto Plant
Where Sit-Down Strikers
Hold Forth; Climax of .
: Dispute Held Near i
DETROIT. March 19-P)-Flre
departments of two suburbs were
fighting a tire early today at the
Chrysler corporation's main
Dodge automobile plant in Ham
tramck. The factory is one of
those occupied by sitdown strik
ers. (By The Associated Press) -
Michigan's paralyzing labor
trouble moved toward a crisis
yesterday.
Chrysler corporation attorneys
conferred with Circuit Judge Al
lan Campbell on further legal
moves to regain eight plants held
by 6,000 sitdown strikers, but ac
tion was deferred nntil today (Fri
day). Earlier the Rev. Frederic Sied
enberg, S. J.,.. University of De
troit dean, was appointed chair
man of the mediation board of
three which grew out of Gov.
Frank Murphy's "law and order"
conference Wednesday.
Over OO.OOO Idle
In Aato Industry
Union forces holding the plants
redoubled their guard. More than
90,000 wage earners Jn the auto
mobile industry were Idle. 1 -
Wages were raised on a -large
sector Of the textile : Industry on
the ere of the -start of the com
mittee for industrial organization
campaign to enroll more than a
million workers.
About 44,500 employes In the
Carolinas will benefit from pay
raises announced yesterday. In
creases were sighted for thou
sands more.
Sidney Hillman, chosen by the
C. L O. last week to lead the tex
tile drive, called the textile work
ers' organizing committee togeth
er in New York. The union claims
100,000 already are under the
C. L O. banner.
Printers Strike
At Indianapolis
(By The Associated Press)
Union printers In tall three ot
the Indianapolis, Ind.. newspapers
Toted yesterday to go on strike at
once while an agreement to settle
the prolonged Remington-Rand
strike was announced at Washing
ton and Michigan's labor trouble
moved toward a crisis.
Glenn L. Mitchell.' president ot
the Indianapolis Typographical
union No. 1 said printers at the
News, Star and Times voted a
walkout shortly after union mem
bers left their jobs ' at the Star,
Indianapolis' only morning news
paper. He declined , to state the
union's demands.
At Washington American Fed
eration of Labor leaders and
James H. Rand, Jr., disclosed they
had reached an agreement Involv
ing employment of i about' 1,200
Remington-Rand strikers.
Dynamite Has No
Bearing on Blast
OVERTON, Tex., March 1S.-UP)
American Legion officials said
tonight that several sticks of dy
namite found in wreckage of the
London Consolidated school had
no connection with a blast mat
killed an estimated 450 children.
They explained that the dyna
mite was found in a part ot the
school - which was i not badly
wrecked. The explosive was left
after blasting on a football field
recently. ..
Student Eye-Witness Tells
Of School Explosion Horror
(KdiUr'a KoU: Martha Harris. 18-
year-ld stadtnt la U Kcw Loadoa
MhooU wai km I abort atanc away
from taa atrvetura kn it barst asunder
wiU a tarriGa roar aad killed aoadreda
at . caildna. Saa sriba ib aeaneaJ
Bare.)
By MARTHA HARRIS
OVERTON, Texas, March 18-
(JFy-I was In the home economy
building about CO yards from the
school when I heard a terrible
roar. The earth shook and brick
and glass came showering down.
X looked out a window and saw
my friends dying like flies. Kids
were blown out through the top
onto the roof. Some of them hung
.up there and others; fell off two
Terrific Explosion Lifts Roof, Then
j Entire Building Crumples Crushing '
Fupiis and 1 eachers; Gas Blamed
Ten Minutes Before Dismissal Time;
Martial Law Declared; Long Rows
of Bodies Await
NEW LONDON. Tex- March lQCTV-SurTcys showed 89
oodles of school children and teacher had been removed early
I today from the wreckage of the London Consolidated high school
t building where a terrific explosion occurred yesterday.
I i ! S
ITEW LONDON, Tex., March 18 (AP) A gigantic
schoolhouse explosion killed more than 321 children just
i j before their dismissal hour today in the worst disaster of
its kind America has known.
1 1 It happened in the heart of the east Texas oil fields in
a l,000,000s school plant. The high school building, center of
the Ikmdon consolidated school, was torn apart in an appall
ing tragedy.! .
I I A captain of the Texas rangers estimated the dead at
150. The recovered bodies ran up to 214 in the early evening.
The school principal feared the total would reach 670.
I' ! At 3:20 p. m. ten minutes before, the end of the school
Y ' a day the walla were shaken with
Task of Removing
Bodies Is Speeded
'Richest School in World"
Now Shambles; Parents
Seek For Children
By WILLIAM T. RIVES
NEW LONDON. Texas, Marcn
1 n-iOHl walked Into a scene of
desolation and despair at the Lon
don consolidated school tonight
that made by heart sink.
" Hundreds of children lay bur
fed underneath a mass of brick
and stone, wreckage ot a fine
three-winged building that boast
ed' a reputation as the "richest
school! In the world because of
its location in the center of the
yast east Texas fairyland of oil.
1 With automobile traffic halted
about a mile and a half away, we
walked upon the eerie scene, lit by
flares from gas pipes nearby, jut
ting 30 feet into the air .and by
floodlights on the football fiejd
hearby. i
In the middle of a ring ot about
five thousand persons lay the
remnants of the huge structure.
The center portion had: only a
bare split wall at the rear still
Standing. The brick and stone
were piled about 15 feet high In
a quarry-like; effect. From the
h (Turn to page 2, coL 1)
jSit-Down Strike
i iHere Short lived
j: Salem's first : sit-down strike,
which i occurred yesterday after
noon proved of the "quickie" va
riety in both beginning and end
ing. 1 -
f Thei four drivers employed by
the Merchants City Delivery. 460
Ferry street, sat down on the of
fice bench at 1 p.m. yesterday and
announced they would stay there
until they received their March
15: pay checks and an explanation
of a change In wage system was
felven; j They got the checks and
the explanation from Clyde John
son, proprietor, at 4 p.m. and by
4:05 were driving truck again.
! The drivers contended that they
were underpaid, with 1 60 a month
the wage of the best paid of the
quartet, and that they would earn
still less under an hourly work
basis which they said the proprie
tor, had announced as effective
Wednesday, i
i Johnson said the strike was the
result ot a "misunderstanding.
stories! to the ground. I saw girls
fn my class jumping out windows
like they were deserting a burn
ing ship. r '
Brother and Friend
Escape Unscathed
; My brother Milton Harris, 1C
years old. jumped from the sec
ond story and didnt get a
scratch: just a little bruise on his
knee when he hit the ground. My
friend,' Geraldine Ruf fin, jumped
out too and was not hurt. :
V My brother said the place just
blew . np : all : of a sudden and
scared them awfully. It took his
breath away and all he knew was
i (Turn to page 2, col. 2)
Identification
snauenng iorce. ine rooi rose,
then settled with killing strength
on the children trapped within.
An explosion of accumulated
gas in a space below the first
floor was one theory. There are
seven producing oil wells on the
campus.
- Chaps rivaling the explosion it
self developed in -the aftermath.
Martial law became necessary.
- From his Warm . Springs. Ga.,
vacation President ' Roosevelt
summoned the Red Cross "and all
of .the government agencies" to
render every assistance in their
power.
Court of Inquiry
Will Investigate
Governor James V. Allred de
clared martial law In the pre
cinct, ordered in national guard
troops and instructed that a mili
tary court of inquiry be set up to
begin an Investigation.
Red 'Cross nurses, doctors by
the score rushed against time to
allay the confusion here 1000
oil field workers tore at the de
bris, frenzied parents strove to
find their children and hundreds
of curious blocked the highways.
Supt. W. C. Shaw, who lost a
son in the explosion, said accu
mulated gas in a space between
the floor of the two-story build
ing and the ground undoubtedly
caused the explosion. .The build
ing was heated by gas-stean
radiators and there was ho main
boiler.
There were 700 pupils In the
high school. .
.Witnesses said there was an
ear-hammering' explosion alter -the
grumbling roar that preceded
the -blast. The roof then, they
said, moved up. the walls crashed
outward, and the roof fell Into the
wreckage, crushing those within.
Bricks Are Throws
For Quarter Mile
The high school building was
wrecked. A flame shot forth for
a brief time. Nearby stood the
grade school empty its several
hundred pupils ' having already
been dismissed for the day.
i Bricks hurtled through the air
- (Turn to page 2, coL 1)
Building Permits
Continue to Gain
Permits for a 16500 house and
a 12000 store building were Issued
by the city building department
yesterday along with two smaller
permits.
A. Volchok received the house
construction permit. This new
home will be located at 1895
South Church street.
The.lxth and State street busi
ness block will be enlarged by the
store building, to be built at 1260
State by William Lebold. It will
be 21 by 65 feet In size.
Permits for a $175 private'gar
age at 593 Highland avenne was
taken out by Sarah Patrick and
for rerooflng a house at 690 Le
felle at cost of 1 25, by Mrs. E.
Weiler.
ALLADC
of TOD A V
One little child Is harmed and
we, though strangers, mourn In
sympathy; the grief of loved
ones we would share, we know
the cross that parents bear.
What It by hundreds children
die. The shock's too great:
with tearless eye we grope for
words. that will convey our feel
ingsyet what can we say?