Univ. of Oregon Library
' EUGENE, OREGON
BULLETIN
WEATHER
High yesterday, 45 degree. Low
last nigtt, 28 degree.. Sunset to
da)', 4:33. ' Sunrise tomorrow,
7:39.
FORECAST
Clearing and colder tonight,
Partly cloudy Wednesday. High
both days, 30 38. Law tonight',
13 U.
OREGON'S DAILY NEWSPAPER
53rd Year 2 Sections
Bend, Deschutes County, Oregon, Tuesday, December 27, 1955
Ten Pages
No. 18
Family Pie m
Ul
Crashes
ful
fil ODD
mi
THE BEND
CENTRAL
Five
o
D
one
m
Americans Set New Record
For Holiday Deaths as More
Than 600 Killed on Highways
By ITNITKO PKKSS
(More than GOO traffic deaths dur
ing the "black Christmas" week
end set an all time, all-holiday ree
oitl for slaughter on the highways.
The three-day Christmas week
end became the deadliest holiday
of all time when the United Press
death count passed the 588 rec
ord set during the four-day yule
tide weekend of !&. then soared
above 600.
The count from 6 p.m. Friday
until midnight Monday showed a
total of 613 traffic fatalities. There
were 72 deaths in fires, 4 in plane
crashes and 129 in miscellaneous
accidents for an overall accident
al death toll of 818.
Despite the repeated warnings of
safety experts and the recent
Safe Driving Day campaign
Americans killed each other at a
record rate. I
Mass Mayhem
"How much longer will a civil
ized nation create or endui-e such
Soaring Oil
Output Claim
MOSCOW (UP) Soviet oil out
put is soaring, the government an
nounced today.
Petroleum Industry Minister
Mikhail A. Evseyenko told the Su
preme' Soviet at a special session
of the Russian Parliament that he
will "successfully fulfill" the aim
of an 85 per cent increase in oil
output - this year over 1950.
Speaking before a morning ses
sion of the Council of the Soviet
Mie of the -Supreme Soviet's two:
equal chambers Evseyenko said
ftil output in eastern regions of the
Soviet Union now represented- 58
per cent of the country's total out'
put. . , . .
Before World War IT, he said,
the pastern region contributed only
6 per cent.
Budget discussion proceeded !n
the Supreme Soviet today follow
ing introduction of a new money
bill at yesterday s opening session.
B&side announcing a 10 per cent
cut in defense appropriations, the
finance minister also announced
the U.S.S.R. Is' building new atom
ic power stations.
He said the Soviets, following up
construction of a 5000 kilowatt
atomic pilot plant, are now pro
ceeding with major stations of
50,000 kilowatts and 100,000 kilo
watt capacity
Western diplomatic observers
said they had been impressed thus
far by the moderation expressed
toward the West in the special
parliamentary session.
Landing Forced
By Engine Fire
BRYCE CANYON, Utah (UP
An American Airlines plane en
route from Los Angeles to New
York with 40 passengers made an
unscheduled landing at the Bryce
Canyon emergency field today
when an engine caught fire.
The plane landed at 1 a.m. after
Pilot C. W. Evans radioed Los
Angeles that warning lights
showed he had a fire In the No. 4
engine. Evans feathered the prop
eller on that engine and made the
landing without incident.
A fire department from a nearby
town put out the fire before the
passengers had a chance to get on
the plane.
The plane, flight No. 4, left Lo3
Angeles at 9 p.m. PST.
It was at Bryce Canyon in 1917
that a DC6 crashed in flames kil
ling 54 persons in the first acci
dent involving that type plane The
DC6 caught fire in flight and wa
attempting to land when it crashed
100 yards short of the runway.
ARRESTS. MX HE
Arvel Long, 27. of 555 Penn ave
nue. was arrested last night at
Bond street and Minnesota aven'H
on the charge of intoxication. H
was released on $2fl bond.
Donald McDonald. 73. of 16 Kan
sas street, wis arrested on an In
toxicatlon ehanre eirlv Christmi
dav near tne high school. He was.
released on $20 bond.
mass mayhem?" asked Ned H,
Dearborn, president of the Nation
al Safety Council.
"Let us hope and pray that the
weekend slaughter we have Just
experienced will cause all of us
to make a New Year's resolution
to drive better not onto over the
New Year's holiday but from herel
on in."
Some safety experts said pri
vately that there are "just too
many cars on the road.
Illinois had the worst holiday
record with 46 traffic deaths.
Michigan and Texas both had 44
and California had 42.
Every state in the nation added
to the death toll except for Rhode
Island, New Hampshire, South Da
kota, Montana, and the District of
Columbia.
Hie death rate during this year's
three-day holiday was seven every
I hour. Safety experts felt sure this
Irillinrr nata unnM rv.li.-U tho. final
count close to the 600 mark.
Ned H. Dearborn, president of
the National Safety Council, said
the nation's motorists had turned
the holiday into a "black Christ
mas." Christmas Turns Black
"We may have dreamed of a
white Christmas, but we have turn
ed it black with a record of death,
destruction and disaster on the
highway by which no American
can help- but be -depressed.
ashamed, and frightened," he said
The death count mocked .the
spirit of Christmas and some per
soas even stooped to looting the
bodies of the holiday victims.
Such a case was reported at
Webster City, Iowa,' after an 8
year-old girl was killed In a smash
up Monday. Someone got to the
wrecked car before police arrived
and made off with a wallet and
purse containing $175. .' 1 :
At flood - stricken Yuba City,
Calif., armed men guarded against
more looting. A three-state area
was ravaged by floods throughout
the holidays, with Yuba City suf
fering the mast. Tmlay, the trag
edy-haunted community braced for
yet another flood crest on - the
Feather River.
Fire Strike Suddenly..
The holiday was also marred by
killer fires which struck without
warning across the country.
In the worst holocaust, a farm
house blaze took six . lives
mother and her five sons near,
Gay lord, Mich., Monday. A down
town city block in Lowell, Mass,
went up in flames, causing $1,800,
000 damage, and fires which de
stroyed an historic church and a
rail terminal In Chicago : were
blamed for $1,500,000 damage.
But the traffic massacre was the
most shocking holiday tragedy and
as Dearborn commented "the pity
of it is that it doesn't have to
happen."
Motorists could not blame bad
weather for the toll. There were
disastrous rains in the West and
rain and fog in the Midwest. But
skies were fair and roads clear in
most of the country during the
holidays and today.
However; the Safety Council
pointed out, the holiday death rate
mirrored the steaduy climbing
total of traffic fatalities throughout
the year. 1
Traffic deaths in 1955 are run
ning about seven per cent higher
than 1954, when 36,300 persons died
the council said.
Central Oregon Celebrates
Christmas in Quiet Manner
Central Oregonians today are
emerging from the long Christmas
holiday, three days for most peo
ple, to face the fact that the year
1955 is plunging toward its end
with another long holiday in the
offing.
For many, the New Year holiday
w'll start on Saturday of this week
ind last through Monday, inas
much as Jan. 1 falls on a Sunday.
Bend's observance of the holi
iay was in the traditional man
ner, and for some congregations
was inaugurated with midnight
vrviees on Saturday night. The
"hurches were packed to capacity.
ivith some forced to stand at S.
rancis Catholic church wren all
pews and extra chairs were filled.
Christmas day was a time of
reunion for numerous families;
with young people home from col
Holiday Toll
In Oregon
Set at Seven
By UNITED PRF.SH
Al least seven persons lost their
lives in Oregon traffic Occidents
during the Christmas weekend.
A three-car acideat near Camp
Adair yesterday afternoon resulted
in the death of an elderly Corvallis
couple. The victims were. H. A.
Franklin, 78, and his wife, Kath
ryn, 71.
State police said their car was
traveling south when it strayed in
to the path of a car driven by Ed
ward Thurbei 40 Wlllnminn
Thurber was hosoitalized In Onr.
vallis. A third car, driven by Dean
W. Frost, 3T, Oakridge, went into
a ditch to avoid the accident. He
was not injured. i
Choon N. Louie. 36, Cottage
Grove, was killed Cnnstmas night
when the car he was driving left
the road and plunged into a house.
No one was in the house at the
time. ....
Donald II. Wilkison, 21-year-old
McMinnville sailor, was. killed
when his car plunged off the road
near Carlton Sunday. He had been
home on Christmas leave.
Harry E. Con Win. Salem, died
Sunday in a collision on Highway
99 north of Salem.
In earlier traffic accidents.
Charles J. MCall, 53, Cervuis, and
William Hiscoe, 47, Beaverlon,
were killed.
Commies Arrest
American Soldier
' BERLIN (UP) The U.S: Army1
announced today that an Ameis
lean soldier Was arrested by Com
munist -police yesterday ater 'a
minor traffic accident in East Ber
lin. He still is missing.
The army identified the solderl
as M.Sgt. Mike Kliman of Brook
lyn. , -
Authorities asked the Russians
today to return Kliman. He was
last seen at about 10:30 p.m. yes
terday -when East Berlin "peo
ples police", .took him to East
Berlin Police Headquarters.
-' It was the second time since ttiej
East .Germans began insisting on
"sovereignty" In East; Berlin that
an American soldier has been ar
rested. Earlier this month, two GIs
were arrested and accused of beat
ing a cabaret actor In the Soviet
zone. of the city. . .They were , re
turned to Army control by the Rus
sians despite the ' East German
claims that they should have been
tried in East German courts." ;
The arrest of Kliman raised the
question of whether the East Ger
mans will exercise- their "sover
eignty," which the West does not
recognize, by trying the soldier.
ARREST MARK
Lynn J. Perdue. SI, of Route 1,
was arrested Christmas night on
the charge of driving a car while
under the influence of liquor. He
was reported driving on the wron
side of the center line in Green
wood avenue near First street. He
was held in $250 bond. Perdue in
formed police he had taken some
friends home after consuming
about a pint of vodka.'
MANY-TBUNKED TREES
The East Indian banyan tree
sends down from, its branches
shoots which take root and become
auxiliary trunks. One Calcutta ban
yan tree has 3000 such trunks.
lege and from the armed services.
However, plans for family reunions
in some homes were disrupted by
floods which isolated parts of the
west, cut highways and clocked
some rail travel.
It was a white Christmas for
Central Oregonians, but the six-
inch pack of snow that blanketed
the Bend area Christmas morning
rapidly melted under a blustery
Chinook wind. By Monday morning,
most of the slush had disappeared.
Becuase of slushy conditions, the
white Christmas did not make It
passible for youngsters to try out
new sleds, skis, or otner sports
equipment, except In the bigner
country where snow fell through
most of the long holiday.
In the Bend area, the triple holi
day passed without any major ac-j
aoents.
i'- "Was , T1
M
W
WHEN MARYSVILLE HAD TO PACK AND LEAVE Thi.
yiew of Marysville, Calif., surrounded by flood waters greeted
two Bend men, Robert W. Chandler and Pat Gibson, when they
flew south Saturday. See page 4 for details. Flood waters from
Feather river are shown at left and the Yubi river, at right.
Waters Again Break
Through at Yuba City
SAN FRANCISCO (UP) A new and debris piled against trees and
crest sent the Feather River pour-
lng today through a 600-foot gap!
in the levee along Yuba City,
flooding the deserted town for the
second time In. less than a week.
The muddy waters began rising
at the rate of three Inches an
hour during the night. Flnaly they
overflowed the gap at.'Gumtree,
broken, during last J Saturday's
flood wjien 10,000 persons fled for.
their lives.
. The waters filled half of the
stricken towri before they began
to recede. In the southeast section,
they rose to, nearly three feet
Flood officials expected them tO:
go no higher. , .:
Actually, there was little further
harm the flood waters could do.
Where' thej? were deepest was al
ready an area of destruction, with
some houses crumbled into pieces
Grants Pass Man
Suffers Injuries
In Plane Crash
GRANTS PASS (UP) Fred
Hale, -43, operator of the Grants
Pass Air Service, was reported to
day to be safe and suffering from
undetermined injuries following the
crash of his light plane In rugged
country west of here.
Hale left here Saturday to fly
Walter Geer to a field near his
home In Marial. Reports reaching
here indicated that Hale was re
turning alone when the plane
crashed near Black Bar lodge
about 25 miles west of here. Ear
lier it was reported that both men
were missing.
Pilot Deke Miller landed here
yesterday and said he had talked
to Hole who told him to tell Hale's
wife, "Tell her I'm okay." Miller
left here with a doctor to go to the
bedside of the injured pilot.
Miller said he was told Hale had
crashed near the lodge Saturday
night and that two caretakers had
taken care of him until Glenn
Wolldridge, veteran Rogue river
guide, moved him by boat to
Marial.
Holiday Leaves
Given Brothers
Two Central Oregon brothers
who are serving in the U.S. Navy
are home on leave over the holi
days from opposite shores of the
continent.
They are Emery Gardner, fire
patrolman third class, who is serv
ing aboard the USS Iowa, no in
Norfolk. Va., and Bmce Gardner,
who recently completed basic work
in fire control at San Diego
and will be assigned to duty with
a ship at Pearl Harbor.
They are sons of Mr. and Mrs.
Harvey Gardner of Prineville. Em
ery is a graduate from Bnd high
school with., the class of- 1952. an-1
Bruce was graduated from Crook
county high school in 1954.
-
:Ts
tt i
crooked street signs.
Dulays tiilm F.oarvh
One house, for example, was
perched at a crazy angle on a rail
road track and another sat square
ly In the middle of the street.
The worst effect of the new
flooding was the delay It caused
in the .grim work ot searching.
through flie ruined houses and the
debris for those who failed to es
cape last Saturday wall of wa
ter. There may be as many asi
100 victims, officials said.
It also kept the city s residents
from returning to salvage what
they could from the ooze that cov
ered what -once was their homes.
Armed guards patrolled the
streets, imposing a dusk to dawn
curfew to prevent looting. Anyone
In the city had to show a pass.
The Army Engineer's office at
Marysville, across the river from
Yuba City, reported to Stanley
Plerson, state director of civil
defense, that the new crest "will
no doubt cover most of the ter
ritory that was covered in the last
breakthrough." .
"The depth of the water has not
been determined, but no doubt It
will be adequate to undo any good
that the people might be' doing In
cleaning up now," the engineers
office reported.
Worked Through Night
Repair crews toiled throughom
the night In an attempt to repair
the yawning gap in the 33-foot levee
but the Army Engineers admitted
they had "no hope" of fixing It be
fore daybreak.
The Yuba City situation appear
ed to be the most serious in the
Far West, where storms and floods
have taken a toll of 53 lives and
caused at least 100 million dollars
damage to the states of California,
Oregon and Nevada.
The latest tragedy reported in
the wake of the floods took place In
southwestern Oregon. Five mem
bers of a farm family were burled
In a landslide that covered their
home. The dead were Mr. and Mrs.
Marion Neal, and three children,
Tommy, 18, Mary, 16, and Becky
20 months.
The weatherman had some
cheering news for a change. He
predicted only scattered showers
over northern and central Calif
ornia In the wake of Monday's
heavy rains that caused rivers to
rise ominously again.
Colder Weather Forecast
In addition, he forecast colder
weather and snow in the moun
tains. Tnis would halt the danger
ous runoff of melting snow and
ice that has also caused streams
to swell.
Federal Civil Defense Admin
Istrator Val Peterson was to visit
the Yuba City area today. He con
ferred Monday with Gov. Goodwin
J. Kn'ffht after flying here from
Reno, where he Intoec'ed flood
damage In western Nevada.
Persnn pledged full and im
mediate fr-doral aid. A'ready Army
Engineers had a jro-ahead to let
"ontracts up to 125.000 to clean up
debris,
"President Elsenhower has In
strur'vi me to see that everythinr
oosslble is done to relieve food
victims," Peterson said. The
President is personally concerned
about this great disaster."
J ' ' -
err . tm?jhivi-
At lower left Is part of Yuba City which flooded when the
levee broke after this picture was made. The larger bridge at
left is the one across which most of the 10,000 Mary wills resi
dents were evacuated. (NBA Telephoto for The Bulletin)
RESCUE OPERATIONS Two Bend men, Robert W. Chandler
and Pat Gibson, who dew 4o the flood area of northern Cali
fornia Saturday obtained this picture of the busy Yuba airport.
In the center of the picture U a helicopter, with a load of water-
stranded people removed from
planesara being used by the
tloni. 'For description of the
Photo)
Heavy Traffic
Again Moving
On Highway 97
- The Dalles - California highway
through the midstate region re
mained today as the only north-
south arterial route in Oregon
open to travel.
Heavy traffic, including fleets of
trucks and many Greyhound and
Trailways buses, continued to roll
over the highway, with all buses
making stops at the Trailways sta
tion in Bend.
Motorists using the Inland route
found wintry conditions in the Che
mult area to the south following
a six-inch fall of snow last night.
Chains were required there and In
the La Pine area.
West of the Cascades, U.S. 99
was closed north of Roscburg, and
on the coast, U.S. 101 remaineJ
closed south of Coquille. The Wil
lamette highway was still blocked
as the result of a washout east of
Oakridge.
All traffic between California
points and Eugene, Corvallis and
Portland was passing through
Bend. ,
Despite the heavy traffic over
U.S. 97 during the holidays, there
were no serious- accidents.
Eleven inches of snow fell on
the Mt. Hood route last night, and
a five inch fall was reported from
the Warm Springs Junction. Chains
were required at both places.
Six inches of snow fell on the
Santiam divide, and plows were
operating there this morning, with
heavy snow still fulling. Chains
were required.
A blustery chinook wind hit
Bend on Christmas day, to melt
the six-inch pack that fell before
the holiday. Last night's fall of
snow in Bend was Just under onr
inch.
Jaycees to Host
Kiwanis Club
The Bond Junior Chamber of
Commerce will host members of
the Bend Kiwanis Club at Its regu
lar weekly meeting Wednesday
noon at the Pine Tavern.
The Joint session of the service!
clubs was arranged to accommo-1
date the Khvnnians, who would
this week because of the Monday
have otherwise missed a mating;
holiday.
"" 1 I
rooftops In the area. The lerqer
0. S. Air Force In reicu opera.
area, see page 4. (Bend Bulla fin
i '
Baby Arrives
Christmas Day
For Nelsons
December 25 will have a double
significance tor Janet Marie Nel
son through the years it will not
only be Christmas day, but it will
be her birthday.
Daughter of Mr.- and Mrs. Fred
Nelson, 322 Seward, Rend, she was
born at St. Charles Memorial hos
pital on the Nativity day, and
weighed . six pounds and two
ounces.
Janet Marie was Bend's only
Christmas baby this year.
Dionne Girls
Drift Away
From Family
CALLANDER, Ont. (UP)-Oliva
Dionne, father of the quintuplets.
said today the four surviving
quints have broken away from
their home In Callender, and
there was "no use" camouflaging
the fact.
Dionne said the girls did not
send their parents a Christmas
card, or call them on the tele
phone, or write them about their
Christmas plans. The girls spent
Christmas In Montreal.
Dionne said he and Mrs. Dionne
toid realized for several months
that the girls had been drifting
away from the family. He blamed
the separation on what he called
'intruders," but he refused to
fdenty the so-called "intruders."
It was the first time that the
quints had not spent Christmas
with their family.
Iwo of the quints, Yvonne and
Cecile, were training as nurses
in Montreal,
In Montreal, the Slar reported
that Marie and Annette had taken
an apartment in the west end of
ho city and that Yvonne and
Cecilo joined them there during
the Christmas weekend.
Dionne said the quints had also
cut their brothers and sisters off
their Christmas card mailing list
tills year.
FIVES AHSF.!WKI
Avis D. Barnes. Bend, was as-
sised J9.50 by Justice of the
Peace O. W. Grubb last week for
having no operator's license,
Other fines included Charles A.
Joseph, Salt Lake, Utah. $19.50 for
overload, and Donald M. Wyatt,
Bend, J10 tor truck speeding. i
Floods Cause
Of 1 2 Deaths
In Oregon
PORTLAND (UP) Floodat
tered southwest Oregon counted a
mounting toll ot death and destruc
tion today from slides and raging
waters including a tragedy In
which five members of one family
were killed when a ruin soaked
hill crushed a house at Remote.
There was hope the waters would
recede today.
Another drowning was reported
in the Coos Bay area, bringing the
death toll from floods In Oregon
since last Wednesday to 12.
More people had to be evacuated
yesterday. -
Roads Blocked
Some main routes In western
Oregon still were blocked this
morning but Highway 99 was re
ported open all the way.
The slide at Remote In western
Marion E. Neal, 40: his wife, 39:
and three of their children, Tom
my, 18; Mary, 16, and Becky, 20
months. Two others, Billy, 6, and
Margaret, 12, were taken to a
Roscburg hospital, Douglas County
Coroner L. L. Powers said only
member of the family to escape
Injury was Arvls, a 7-year-old boy.
Powers went to the scene be
cause the Highway 42 was blocked '
between Remote and Coquille. The
Neal home was swept about 300
feet across a field. Word of the
slide was relayed by ham radio.
The Coast Guard reported yes
terday that an unidentified man
drowned in the Coos Bay area
when he missed a step into a boat
that was trying to evacuate him.
He was swept away by the Coquille
Coquille was virtually cut off
from the outside world with roads
out and communication Unas down.
The Coqutllo river readied a rec
ord 26.7 feet lost night. . '
A number of families were evac
uated from flooded areas around'
Coquille yesterday and were being
cared for by the Red Cross In Co.-.
qullle Commuuily hall. Civil De
fense Director John Pickett said
that many houses were flooded
along the riverbank and several
were in danger of floating away.'
A bridge washed down the Coquille
river but Coos Bay Lumber Com
pany employes set out to "beach"
It.
Dmpqua Going- Down
Myrtle Point also was hard hit
and ham radio operators said the
city was without power. A hell
copter was to try to fly an elec- -triclan
Into the area today.
Riddle, a southern Douglas coun
ty town, remained Isolated by high
water today. The Unipqua river at
Roscburg was reported going down
this morning, however.
The Coquille began levelling off
last night but high tide early today
was expected to delay the runoff.
The Rogue river, which reached
an all-time high last week, was
reported falling y e s t e rday but
creeks In the area flooded. The
Willamette river was falling at
Portland after going more than
tour feet over flood stage Christ
mas day.
State police reported Highway
101 closed south of Coquille and
Highway 42 closed east of Coquille.
Emergency traffic only was al
lowed from Coquille to Coos Bay.
Highway 101 was reported open
from Bandon south.
Other routes still closed this
morning Included Highway 33 be
tween Druin and Reedsport and.
Highway 58, Willamette pass.
Rainfall In the 24 hours ending
early today eased off somewhnt
fter more than four Inches fell In
some parts of southwest Oregon
during the previous 24-hour period.
lood Area Gets
Radio Equipment
PORTLAND (UP) Radio com
munications equipment valued at
more than $100,01)0 wns flown from
Portland yesterday by a General
Airways plane to Eureka, Calif.,
to provide essential communica
tions service for the flood stricken
city.
The plane was unable to lnnd at
Eureka but was able to' sit down
at Areata, eight miles to the north.
The city of Eureka was Isolated
from the rest of the world for three
flays when floods cut telephone
lines.
The Portland mercy plane had
fust completed another flight to aid
flood victims. It had Just returned
from Pakistan where it carried
supplies to flood refugees.