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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (March 24, 1952)
pfpnirppr y nn vr nn UUYJ Medford tailed Press rull Uuti Wire 47th Year 12 Pages Tornado Dazed Survivors Begin Rebuilding Destroyed Homes Arkansas Continues Search for Bodies Little Rock, Ark. U.R) The death toll rose to 250 Monday in the tornado and flood-ravaged areas of six southern states as dazed survivors finished the two day job of burying their dead and began rebuilding their wrecked homes. The American Red Cross counted 1,107 injured in the wake of the swirling black fun nels, greatest barrage of tona does in 20 years, and estimated damage woud run into "mil lions." Search for Bodies Continues The grim search for bodies continued in Arkansas, hardest hit by the killer twisters that marched across the midsouth through Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee and Missouri. Rains had stopped in the flood ed areas along the Kentucky Tennessee border, where 10 lives were lost, and the state highway patrol at Harlan, Ky., reported the rampaging rivers were receding. In Arkansas, National Guards men patrolled the storm-shattered towns to prevent looting. Death Toll Revised . Red Cross officials here re vised upward the number of killed by the raging storms in Arkansas from 121 to 149 with 711 injured. Elsewhere a state-by-stata breakdown issued by Red Cross headquarters in Wash ington gave this picture: Alabama: 8 dead, 46 injured. Tennessee: 60 dead, 257 in jured. - Mississippi: 11 dead, 23 . in jured. Kentucky: 7 dead, 1 injured. Missouri: 15 dead, 69 injured. Officials received applications from 2,612 families for various kinds of help. The Red Cross listed 975 homes demolished by the on slaught of the storms and an other 1,391 damaged. Car Given Homeless Red Cross and Salvation Army relief workers supplied food, clothing and shelter to .the homeless, while doctors and nurses gave medical aid to the injured in hospitals and impro vised clinics set up in churches, schools and other structures. Red Cross disaster headquart ers here sent a "rush" shipment of milk, baby bottles and nipples to Searcy, Ark., in the heart of the tornado-belted area. Federal officials, acting on orders from President Truman, began a survey of the stricken areas to determine relief possi bilities. The Red Cross increased its national disaster fund by $5, 000,000 to care for the needy. State of Emergency Gov. Sid McMath of Arkansas proclaimed a state of emergency at Judsonia and Bald Knob and Tennessee's Gov. Gordon Brown ing ordered all ( state relief agencies into action in the west ern part of the state. Clean-up crews with bulldoz ers began shoving into the debris and muck that lay across the earth, as the search for bodies continued through the jumble of wrecked homes and buildings, trees and utility poles. Hong Kong (U.R) U. S. Navy Secretary Dan A. Kimball left Hong Kong Monday for Okinawa to continue his tour of Pacific naval installations. From Okinawa he will go to Formosa and then to Japan. . Mrs Truman Regarding 4 Washington (U.R) Mrs. Tni- man can be as evasive as tne President about where the Tru mans hope to spend the next four years. The first lady proved that she, too, is skillful at dodging ques tions when she took a group of newspaper women on a tour of the family quarters of the reno vated White House Sunday. Rare Opportunity It was a rare opportunity for reporters since Mrs. Truman never holds press conferences. They tried to make the most of it. "Would you like to spend four more years at the White House?" asked a reporter who was well eware that Mrs. Truman would like nothing better than for her MEDFORD, OREGON, MONDAY, MARCH 24, Death Tell feaete r$"-,zZ. .L " ' "' i-i ri TORNADO KILLS 250 Aerial view shows the business district of Judsonia, Ark., which was the hardest hit when a tornado looked as though it had been struck by two 500-pound bombs and artillery. Arkansas counted 149 Rain on Snowpack Brings Potential Danger of Floods A potential danger of damag ing floods in southwestern Ore gon was reported today by Bob Church, meteorologist in charge of the Medford weather bureau. The danger is not immediate, he said. A record-breaking snowpack is lying in the mountains, and Rainfall sine the start of the agricultural year her on Sept. 1, 1951, already exceeds lh average for a 12-month period, weather bureau rec ords showed today. The total since September 1 was 18.06 as of midnight last night. The average is 17.89. the freezing level has gone up to an altitude of about 11,000 feet. Church reporter, while rains are falling generally throughout the mountains. Streams are beginning to rise, he said. But the danger of flooding will probably be lessened by an inflow of cooler air from the northwest. Church predicted, which will bring the freezing level down to 7,000 or 7,500 feet. There will be continued melting at lower levels. Church said, and the situation may resolve into a favorable one permitting the gradual melting of the heavy snow pack. Showers to Decrease The showers now falling in the area will decrease early this week, he said the forecasts showed. Snow survey radio reports from Diamond lake said that 1.4 inches of rain fell there between Sunday and Monday mornings. Temperature this morning was 34 degrees two degrees above freezing and the total snow pack is 97 inches. At Lake O' Woods it also has been raining steadily for the past 24 hours. The temperature is nearing the freezing point, and there are 58 inches of snow. Vancouver, B. C. (U.R) Eighty-six passengers aboard the Union Steamship company pas senger vessel SS Cardina were taken off by tugs Monday after the 226-foot ship ran aground at the entrance to Vancouver har bor in dense fog. . . ; Evades Reporters' Question More Years jn White House husband to take himself out of the presidential race. "That's a question you'll not get a yes or 'no out of me," retorted the first lady. To take the sting out of the reply she laughed and added. ". . . but that's a fair enough question, I'll admit." Special Preview "Could you stand it, if you had to?" asked another reporter. "Well," said Mrs. . Truman, "I have stood it for seven years." About 1,000 members of Con gress, other government men and their wives also got a spe cial preview of the $5,700,000 remodeling project Sunday.' Mrs. Truman, however, did not linger to greet them. She and Mr. Tru man will receive them at an ofii- ripped through four states killing dead, Tennessee 60, Missouri 15, Sierra Nevada Range Gets Fresh Snowfall By UNITED PRESS The most destructive storm of the winter howled toward the Far North Monday, leaving be hind it a swath of destruction down the nation's midsection from the Canadian border to the deep south. The weather bureau said the giant storm would howl itself out of existence in the Canadian northland. But in the mountains of the west, fresh ' snow ' fell on the Sierra Nevada range, already choked under the heaviest blanket of snow in decades. 'Operation Hay lift' Stalled "Operation Haylift," designed to bring feed to more than 600. 000 head of livestock faced with possible starvation, was stalled temporarily at least because of the rough flying weather. The pileup of snow in the mountains brought grave threats of floods to the San Joaquin val ley at the western base of the Sierra Nevada mountains. Authorities said it would be Europe Must Aid Self, Ike Believes Washington (U.R) Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower believes western Europe can be defended only if its nations do their ut most to help themselves, his chief of staff said Monday. Gen. Alfred M. Gruenther told the Senate Foreign Relations committee that Eisenhower "is firmly of the opinion that the defense of a region such as west ern Europe must come basically from within. Gruenther's statement to the committee was released after he had testified more than two hours in closed session as Eisen hower's stand-in, in support oi the $7,900,000,000 mutal securi ty program. Eisenhower feels th'e '.'United States can do much in providing heavy and highly complicated forms of military equipment as well as other forms of support," Gruenther said, "but a success ful defense in western Europe can in the long run be created and maintained only if the coun tries there make a maximum, ef fort in terms of their own re sources." cial party later. Both tours tramped through nearly all of the 107 rooms of the reconstructed mansion from the stainless steel and chromium kitchen on the ground to the new glass-enclosed solarium on the roof". They were excluded only from the secret under ground shelter. . Solarium Most Pleasant Most visitors .found the 10 sided solarium with its green-upholstered bamboo furniture and high outlook over the city, the pleasantest room in the White House. A small family dining table has been placed in the center of the room and it is ap parent the Trumans intend to eat many meals there this summer. Tribune lalteS Pre Salt UuM Ut 1952 No. 2 250 and injuring 1.107. Judsonia then shelled by a concentration of and Mississippi 11. the heaviest spring run-off in 40 years once warm weather turned the mountain snowpack into water. The snowpack at present holds up to 155 per cent of its normal amount of water. It is a record 159 inches deep in places. Winds up to 55 miles an hour piled snow 10 feet deep in some portions of the northern Mid west. Robinson Gains -Labor Support Portland (U.R) The execu tive board of the Oregon state federation of labor declined Monday to recommend to its members any choice among the candidates for president on the states primary election ballot. However, the board made the following recommendations for congressman in Oregon: First district. Earl E. Fisher, tieaverton. republican, No rec ommendation for unopposed Democrat. Second district. John G. Jones. La Grande, Democrat. No recom mendation for Republican. Third district, Hober D. An gel!. Portland Republican. No recommendation for Democrat. Fourth district, no recommen dation in either party. The board made no recommen dation for secretary of state or attorney general, but recom mended Fred E. Robinson. Med ford, Republican, and L. W. Blakeslee. Portland. Democrat for state treasurer. German Newsman Begins Visit Here Gunther Barth. a young news paperman from Dusseldorf, Ger many, spent his first day at work on The Mail Tribune today. He is visiting the newspaper for one week through a cooperative ar rangement between the school of journalism at the University of Oregon and The Mail Tribune. A' drama, art and music sub editor on the Reinishe Post of Dusseldorf. which has a circula tion of 250.000 in a city of 550. 000, Barth is in this country on an exchange scholarship. His visit to Medford is during spring vacation at the university. Today he accompanied Mail Tribune staff members on their beats, and received an introduc tion to the workings of a small city newspaper. A series of ar ticles, giving his impressions of America, and of Medford. will be published in The Mail Tribune during the week. Karl Janouch Named Deputy Treasurer Karl Janouch. former super visor of Rogue River National forest, and more recently asso ciated with lumber firms here and in the Willamette valley, fas been named deputy county treas urer, it was announced today by Treasurer Ralph Sweeney. Janouch succeeds Walter Dun lap, who resigned earlier this month due to ill health after 16 years in the office. HST Asks 300,000 Europeans Allowed To Enter America 3-Year Immigration Program Requested Key West 'U.R) President Truman asked Congress Monday to let an additional 300.000 Europeans, including fugitives from iron curtain countries, into the United States during the next three years. The chief executive proposed a three-year emergency immi gration program designed to as sist "fugitives from Soviet terror" and to meet the need for increasing migration from over crowded European areas. Tare Point Program He outlined a basic three- point program in a lengthy mes sage to Congresss: 1. "Provide aid for the unfor tunate victims of oppression who are escaping from Communist tyranny behind the iron cur tain." 2. "Continue our participation in the international effort now being made to assist in the mi gration and resettlement throughout the world of a sub stantial number of persons from the overpopulated areas of west ern Europe. 3. "Authorize additional im migration into this country, on a limited basis, to aid in allevi ating the problems created by Communist tyranny and overpo pulation in western Europe. rouows Sunday Action The message followed action by the president Sunday to start the use of American funds for recruitment of iron curtain es capees in the North Atlantic De fense forces. Mr. Truman okayed the first expenditure of $4,300,000 in mu tual assistance money under the so-called Kersten amendment which authorizes the use of up to 9ioo.ooo.ooo for this purpose. Mr. Truman pointed out Mon day that the recruitment of fugi tives lor kato military forces and their formation into active military units posed "great and administrative difficulties" and would not eliminate the need for additional measures to use the "skills and energies" of fu gitives in civilan life. Problem Overshadowed The president 'felt, however. that the problems of helping fugitives from Soviet terror" were "overshadowed by the need for Increasing migration from the overcrowded areas of Eu rope." Labeling existing immigration laws "inadequate," Mr. Truman pointed out that the Displaced Persons act will end this year and the United States will re vert to the quota system of im migration. Present immigration laws pro vided for the admission of about 150.000 immigrants a year un der a quota system. The presi dent's request for admission of an . additional 300,000 over a three-year period was similar to the post-war displaced persons program which provided for en try of 400.000 additional immi grants over the quotas. Governor Undecided On Daylight Saving Salem (U.R) Gov. Douglas McKay said Saturday he has not yet made up his mind wheth er to declare daylight saving time in effect for Oregon this year. He said: 'The question of daylight sav ing time is being discussed and agitated again this year and I have been urged to issue a state ment regarding my position on the subject for the coming sea son. 'Up to this time. I am frank to state. I have not had informa tion sufficient to justify action and until I receive positive evi dence which justifies me in de ciding that the economic wel fare of the people of this state is affected, I am not inclined or ob ligated to act thereon." Ho Let-Up Sighted For llorthwest Rain By UNITED PRESS The weatherman pulled a fast switch on the Pacific Northwest during the week-end and instead of the promised sunshine sent down rain by the buckets-full. Forecasters Monday said no immediate letup was In sight A rain-heavy air mass moved in from the Pacific and com pletely fooled the weather bu reau which had predicted sunny skies over the region at least, through Sunday. Heaviest rainfall was report ed at Newport on the Oregon coast where 3.10 inches fell dur ing a 24-hour period. North Bend, Ore, had 2.26 inches. Portland had .68 of an inch at the airport and .67 downtown. Jakarta, Indonesia (UJ9 Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt arrives here Thursday from Singapore for a two-day visit to Indonesia. Bold Beach Elian Hangs Self After Admitting CoquiUe, Ore. U.R Glen Raines, 43, who admitted to state police that he killed his former wife Feb. 4 and buried her body at the foot of an enbankment south of Gold Beach, Ore., hanged himself in his jail cell here early Monday. The body of Raines former wife. Mrs. Ruth Genevive Marr, 51, was not found until last week. Death Follows Quarrel Raines told State Police Sgt. Howard Marsh Saturday he killed Mrs. Marr in a (trailer house at Gold Beach after an ar gument. He told Marsh she pulled a gun from a mattress and pointed it at him. He said he picked up a frying pan from the stove, intending to knock her off balance, and struck her twice. When he discovered she was Taft Strength Said Unhurt by Recent Eisenhower Gains Washington U.R) The Taft camp claimed Monday that its "basic strength" was unhurt by- recent gains of Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower. A campaign aide of Sen. Rob ert A. Taft conceded that there has been a "change" in the po litical climate since Taft's defeat by Eisenhower in the New Hampshire Republican presiden tial primary. "But our basic strength hasn t been disturbed," the Taft spokes man said. Mor Confidence Shown The Eisenhower organization has shown growing confidence as a result of the New Hamp- shire primary, Eisenhower s startling, writein vote in the Minnesota primary and Taft's withdrawal from the New Jersey primary. Eisenhower supporters were further encouraged by two fth et developments Monday: 1. The Washington Post, which has never endorsed a presiden tial candidate within the mem ory or its present executives, came out for the nomination and election of Eisenhower as the Republican candidate capable of ridding. the country of "political blight and mediocre leadership 2. Sources close to Eisenhower reported in Paris that the gen eral win make a television re port to the American people on April 2 on the progress of his European rearmament mission, and that he probably will return to the United States about May 15 to deliver a series of at least three major speeches. But Taft supporters pooh poohed the idea that an Eisen hower bandwagon is beginning to roll. Nw Strength Seen David S. Ingalls, Taft's mana ger, said in a formal statement Sunday night that "despite a lot of sound and fury by the, stop Taft forces, Sen. Taft's position in the race for the Republican nomination has actually been strengthened." Sabrejefs Add 14 MIGs fo War Toll Seoul (U.R) American jet ni- Iots shot down or damaged 14 Russian-built MIG-15 jets in four violent battles high over North Korea Monday. F-86 Sabrejets knocked down three MIGs, probably downed two more and damaged seven. F-84 Thunderjets damaged two. The first air clash came when 32 Sabrejets ripped into 30 Com munist planes just as they crossed the Yalu river into North Korea. One of the MIGs was shot down, one probably shot down and two damaged. There was no immediate re port of Allied losses. Governor Completing Trip Here by Ground, Weather Closes Airport Gov. Douglas McKay, who is to speak at a Chamber of Com merce dinner here this evening, was scheduled to arrive in Med ford late this afternoon from Eugene. The governor started his trip by commercial airliner, but left Ithe plane at Eugene when weath er conditions closed tne airport here temporarily and made it uncertain That the plane could land at Medford. He is complet ing the trip by air line limousine. The governor will speak at a forum meeting sponsored by the Jackson County Chamber of Commerce at 7:15 p. m. at the Rogue Valey Country club. A social hour will precede the dinner. Murder dead, Raines told authorities he drove about five miles south of Gold Beach and carried the body down an enbankment. buried it in loose dirt and put ferns over the top of the grave. Several days later, he said, he felled a tree across the grave. Daughter Suspicious Mrs. Evelyn LaChappelle, Reedsport, a daughter of Mrs. Marr, became suspicious of Raines' story that her mother had gone to San Francisco. She went to Gold Beach last week and found there was a draft against her mother's bank ac count. Mrs. LaChappelle and Gold Beach Police Chief Victor Lortie went to the trailer house where Raines lived. When he stepped outside, they challenged him. Lortie said Raines began to run but stopped after he fired a shot. Arrested for Forgery Raines was arrested on a for gery charge. On Saturday he confessed killing Mrs. Marr. The body was found where Raines said he had buried it. The trailer house was taken to Reedsport and Raines was taken there yesterday. He described to officers how it had happened. He was returned to jail at CoquiUe Sunday night. His body was found about 7 a.m. Monday. Authorities said he hanged him self with a strip of blanket torn from his bed. Truman, Wilson Study Steel Strike Key West -4U.R) President Truman and Defense Mobilizer Charles E. Wilson sought Mon day to devise a plan for avoiding a steel strike without causing another costly spurt of inflation. Wilson and the President, meeting in the winter White House, studied a series of plans and alternatives which Wilson brought with him on a flying trip from Washington Sunday night. The mobilization director was to fly back to the capital Monday afternoon. Wilson submitted a series of recommendations to the Presi dent, thus putting not onlv the inreatened steel strike, but the economic consequences involved in a settlement squarely up to Mr. Truman. The mobilization director would not discuss his plans with reporters until he finished his talks with Mr. Truman. 16 Persons Killed In Africa Air Crash Dakar .French West Africa (U.R) Sixteen persons were kill ed and three were injured seri ously Monday when an "African Tropical Transport Society" plane crashed and burned near Gao in French Nigeria. The crash occurred 80 miles northeast of Niamey. A baby was among the passen gers killed. All three crewmen died when the plane, which apparently de veloped engine trouble, plowed into the jungle a mile outside Gao. A company spokesman said the plane crashed immediately after taking off from Gao on a routine flight to Nice. Ruch School Gymnasium Bond Issue Defeated Ruch A proposed S20.000 bond issue for the purpose of constructing a new gymnasium for the Ruch school was defeated by a one-vote margin at an elec tion here last week. j The vote was 52 for the bond issue, 53 against. 3 Children Lost in Storm; Searchers Find Two Dead Oconto, Wis. (U.R) Rescuers searching for three small chil dren lost in a blizzard in Nicolet National forest Monday found one of them alive and the other two dead. They were found by a tavern keeper in an outbuilding near a hunting lodge where search ers by the hundreds had tramp ed since the children were re ported missing since .Saturday. Survivor Hungry The only survivor, four-year- old Mary Ann Church, was tak en to the office of Dr. J. S. Dougherty in nearby Suring, Wis. The bodies of her sister, Kathy, 5, and her cousin, Stevie Kennedy, 5, were brought in later. Their bodies' were stiff, the doctor said. But Mary Ann, who had sur vived the blizzard and the bit ter cold for 43 hours, apparently had suffered no serious effects. Hews Blackout On Prisoner Issue Being Discussed Further Discussion On Secrecy Matter Panmunjom (U.R) Allied and Communist truce negotia tors "almost" reached agreement Monday on clamping a news ban on deadlocked prisoner of war discussions. Both sides met for more than three hours discussing the scope and form of future talks on ex changing prisoners. A UN spokes man said the talks were "quasi confidential." Further Discussions "We almost came to an agree ment, but not quite," said Allied staff officer Col. George W. Hickman after the session. "We will discuss the matter of secre cy for 20 minutes Tuesday." Brig. Gen. William P. Nuck ols, the official UN spokesman, refused to give details of Mon day's conversations. However, he said the negotiators discussed whether they should meet in executive sessions "in which both sides would be free to ex press points of view and to de velop these points of view over a period of perhaps days hi com plete privacy." They also discussed what they would talk about, once they reach agreement on secrecv. Nuckols said. Meeting Lai The meeting began three hours late at the request of the UN, but it was not known why. Other negotiators took up the question of ports of entry to be used by both sides once an arm istice is reached. The Commu nists submitted for Allied ap proval five new maps outlining areas for Korean ports of entry. The maps at first glance ar peared in "general agreement" with UN ideas. "As for the ports of entry con cerned, conceivably we could wrap it up tomorrow," said Col. Don O. Darrow, UN staff of-. ficer. Information Undecided Hickman said there was no dis cussion in the prisoner meeting of what kind of information would be given the press in case a news blackout is decided upon. The prisoner of war discus sions became deadlocked on the Communists' demand for forc ible repatriation. The Allies have insisted on voluntary repatri ation. , San Francisco Girl Found Beaten, Raped San Francisco (U.R) The nude body of a 17-year-old high school girl, the victim of a rape and brutal beating, was found in a clump of hedge near Mission high school Monday. The girl was identified as Hilda Rose Pagan, a student at the high school. The body was found by An drew Young, 64-year-old night watchman, who told police he was taking a customary morning walk through the Mission Do lores park when he came upon the body. The girl had been reported missing Sunday night by an uncle, Jose Monilo, when she failed -to return from a movie she attended in the late after noon. Washington (U.R) Ren. Lowell Stockman (R., Ore.) left here Monday by air for a tour of military installations in the Far and Middle East. Weather FORECAST: .Cloudy with occa ... sional rain through Tuesday. Mild temperature!. Low to night 40. High Tuesday 52. .. Temp. Highest Yesterday 45 Lowest this Morning 40 Prec. to 4:30 a-m. Today 33 "We gave her some hot milk," the doctor said, "but she insist ed that she liked coffee better. "And she kept asking for a sandwich," he said. "She told me she was 'awful hungry." The three children wandered away from the Arnold Church home about 3 p. m. Saturday. No snow was falling but within an hour a full-blown blizzard hit the lonely north woods area. Parents Appeal for Help The parents sent an urgent appeal for help. Volunteers by the hundreds swarmed into the area from surrounding counties, bloodhounds were brought in and a Civil Air Patrol plane took off to aid in the search. The searching party walked repeatedly within 300 to 400 feet of the hunting camp Satur day and Sunday, and a snow- plow cleared part of the area in ha search for the children.