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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (April 15, 1955)
Mebford United Press Full (-cased Wir 50th Year 20 Pages NUCLEAR T Floods Threatened In Four States As Water Rises Diver Joins Search For Missing Vehicles By UNITED PRESS . Southland rivers, gorged by three days of torrential rains rose towards flood crests today in Alabama, Mississippi, South Carolina and Louisiana. No new storms threatened Dixie, but tornadic weather 'which raged across the nation's southern half had left at least 11 persons feared dead and mil lions of dollars' damnge. In Mississippi, the Pearl, Pas- cagoula, and Leaf rivers threat ened to spill over thousands of acres today. Alabama was warned to prepare for the worst floods since 1948 on the lower Alabama, Coosa and Tombigbee rivers. Diver Joins Search Meanwhile, a professional diver joined the search of the flood-swollen Homochitto river in Mississippi, where at lea; twe vehicles plunged off a bro ken bridge. Two persons, and possibly more, were feared dead Elsewhere in the natirn, fog still shrouded New York City where an American tanker an- British ship collided, officials sa'd. , In Texas and Oklahoma work men repaired miles of blizzard damaged communications and power lines in summer-like tem peratures. Ice, heavy snow, and 76-mile-per hour winis had snapped the lines and temporar ily marooned hundreds of mo torists, but the eight-foot drifts were practically melted away to day. Cold Snap Threatened - Farther west, mora blowing dast was in store for farmers in Eastern Colorado and parts of New Mexico, and a threatening cold snap prompted livestocs warnings for extreme Northern Wyoming. The sodden Southeast was still being doused with rain in some portions today, including 3.03 inches at Augusta, Ga., and 2.17 inches at Macon, Ga. ' These rains, however, were welcomed by drouth-plagued farmers. Robert Sage Selected Washington Principal Robert Sage, 35, principal of the' Gold Hill elementary school for the past six years, has been appointed principal of Washing ton school in Medford, it was announced this morning. He was offered the post fol lowing a meeting of the board of School District 49 this week, and accepted today. He succeeds Kenneth Hulbert, who will be come principal of the new Jef ferson school in September. Sage, a native of Jackson county, attended Table Rock ele mentary school and Medford High school, and received his BS in education at Southern Oregon college in 1946. From 1946 to 1949 he was teacher and coach at Jackson school. He earned the master of education degree at the University of Ore gon in 1954, and also has taken graduate work in education at the University of Boston. He is married and the father of sons aged 3 and 5, and a daughter, 9. DOW-JONES AVERAGES New York (U.F2) Dow-Jones final stock averages: 30 indus trials 425.45 up 2.99; 20 rail roads 158.30 up 1-43; 15 utilities 64.72 up 0.94, and 65 stocks 159.14 up 1.04. Ellsworth Bill Timber on Mining Claims Washington (U.R) Rep Harris-Ellsworth introduced in the House yesterday a bill designed to protect timber in federal for ests from exploitation by mining claimants. The bill would allow the gov ernment to continue to manage and sell timber located on unpat ented mining claims. At present mining claimants can prevent the Forest Service or Bureau of Land Management from dispos ing of timber on their claims. Under the measure, drafted jointly by the Interior and Agri culture departments, the aim- est i liuntTf 3 J ' 1 BOATS HAVE RIGHT OF WAY Two stranded children boat after thunder clouds dumped IZV2 inches of rain flooded and hundreds of autos stalled. The one at right pass. . Demurrer Suspect is Circuit Judge H. K. Hanna has overruled a demurrer to a first degree murder charge against Bernice Hampton (Tex) White, 37, of 228 Hartley rd., Medford. White was ordered to appear in court when he is recovered from recent operation. Five other men appeared in circuit court for sentencing this morning and two of them were Injunction Hearing Under Way in Court A hearing was under way in circuit court this morning on an injunction sought by Kermit C. Combes and Evelyn G. Combes against Bert G. Harr, Christine Harr, Art Brown, and D. B. Win ningham. The Combeses seek an order enjoining the defendants from use and trespass on property owned by Mr. and Mrs. Combes along Squaw Creek rd. in the Applegate area. A complaint filed recently charges the defendants have taken earth from land owned by Combes while widening Squaw Creek rd., and are operating log trucks on the property. Combes was arraigned March 23 in district court on a com plaint, filed by Bert Harr, charg ing him with disorderly conduct. The case is still pending. US Refuses Visits To 15 Jailed Flyers Washington (U.R) The Uni ted States, stood firm today against Red China's renewed of fer to let relatives of 15 jailed airmen visit them in their Chi nese prisons. Officials said the Far Eastern situation, if anything, has grown worse since the end of January when the United States first re fused to let the relatives go o China. Thus, they said, the U.S government could not change its stand now and let the kin visit the fliers. , , The renewed offer came in a letter from the Chinese Red Cross to Mr. and Mrs. Harold Fischer of Swea City, la., whose son Harold is in a Chinese jail. The Reds hold 14 other Ameri can airmen. To Protect ant would have the right to use timber directly for mining pur poses and the government forest agency could not interfere with the mining operation in its tim ber management. The bill also would prohibit any further mining claims based on discoveries of cinders, stone, sand, gravel, pumice and pumi cite. Ellsworth said O & C lands in western Oregon were exempt ed from the bill. He said it needn't apply to these lands be cause they are protected in a similar way by a 1948 act which h sponsored. MEDFORD, OREGON, MM of Murder Overruled given terms in Oregon state prison. . Those appearing were Earl Howard Brown, 25, of route 1, box 773, Grants Pass; Earl Wayne Taylor, 17, Butte Falls; Paul Ronald Holteen, 22, Win ston, Ore.: John Silva, 27, of route 1, box 191, Rogue River, and Lincoln Eldred McFall, 35, of route 1, box 215, Rogue River, Terms Suspended Brown and Silva received sus pended one-year sentences on charges of larceny. Holteen was given ;,a suspended threemcrirfs4fenbolf ne rebellious sects sentence and was, fined $50 on a charge of assault and battery, lay lor received a one-year term in Oregon state prison on a charge of larceny, and McFall was given a one-year prison term on a similar charge. White has been charged with first degree murder in the death of Eugene Raymond Birk, 32, Phoenix, who died after being struck by a board which eye witneses said was wielded by White. ine court already has over ruled a motion to quash the charge. .The demurrer, entered by Robert Duncan, White's at tprney, was overruled yesterday. White underwent an emergen cy appendectomy last week, and will appear in court as soon as attending physicians certify that he is physically able to do so. White House Aide In Corsi Inquiry Washington (U.R) A Senate Judiciary Subcommitte invest! gation of the controversial firing of Edward J. Corsi will touch on the role played by a top White House aide, informed sources said today. The disclosure came ao,the subcommittee prepared for public airing of the politically explosive question of why Corsi was abruptly dismissed as State Department adviser on refugee problems. Informed sources identified one White House witness as Max well M. Raab, presidential as sistant on minority problems. Corsi told reporters Thurs day that Raab was "very anxi ous to have me help" in the refugee relief program and had first invited him to take the job as refugee adviser, in the State Department. COL. PAINE BETTER Col. W. H. Paine, 84, of 56 North Orange st., who has been at Community hospital since Wednesday evening is reported to have had "a good night," and is in satisfactory condition. The retired Army officer was taken unexpectedly ill and is under treatment for an acute respira tory condition. He may not have visitors as yet. Weather FORECAST: Mostly cloudy with occasional light rain tonight. Considerable cloudiness and a .'few showers Saturday. Not so , cold tonight. Low tonight 34. . High Saturday 54. Temp. Highest Yesterday 48 Lowest this Morning 28 Prec. to 4:30 a.m. Today, Trace FRIDAY, APRIL 15, 1955 are rescued by neighbors in a on Mobile. Ala. Homes were has stopped to allow boat to Rebel Grenades Hurled Into Saigon Saigon, Indochina (U.R) Re bellious bands staged . hit and run attacks on local outposts in the out-country and hurled gre nades in baigon itself in a new outburst of violence against the government of American-backed Premier Ngo Dinh Diem One Viet Namese soldier was killed and six others were wounded in two grenade attacks in Saigon. One of the grenades was tossed at a group of govern ment troops in the heart of Sai gon's teeming suburb of Cholon, The other exploded in front of central police headquarters, ner ve center of the incubating civil war, but caused no injuries Diem was forced today to can cel his proposed trip to the Afro- Asian conference at Bandung be cause of the rising tension and the threat of continued blood shed in South Viet Nam Southwest of this capital, blockaded by rebels, guerrilla warfare crackled anew through out the rich rice country of the lower Mekong. Hank Girl Said Marijuana Smoker Portland U.P) A witness at the Fong murder trial today testified that Diane Hank had said she took narcotics at the Fong home. Mrs. Shirley Macfarlane, 19, told the jury she had been a friend of the murdered Hank girl since grade school days. "She (Diane) told me that she had taken dope at the Fong house .She said Sherry and Wayne (Wey Him Fong) and her self had smoked marijuana,' Mrs. Macfarlane testified. Sherry and Wey. Him Fong are on trial in circuit court here for the first degree murder of the 16-year-old Hank girl January of last year. in Sen. Welker Collapses But Recovers Quickly Washington (U.R) Sen. Her man Welker (R-Ia.) collapsed in the Senate dining room today for the second time ' in recent weeks. He again recovered quickly. Dr. George W. Calver, Capi tol physician, said Welker was merely overtired and had been "trying to do too much." He said the 48-year-old senator is "all right" otherwise. Welker was lunching in the main dining room when he col lapsed. Eden To Call National Elections on May 26 London (U.R) Prime Minis ter Sir Anthony Eden announced tonight he will call national gen eral elections in Britain May 26. In a television broadcast to the nation, Eden said he had asked the Queen to dissolve the current Parliament May 6 and she had agreed to do so. Polling will take place May 26, Eden said, and the new Par liament will be summoned June 7 to resume legislative business. Newport, Ore. (U.R) Lincoln county's recently completed courthouse is to be dedicated tomorrow. IKIT Items Subjected To Savage Fury . Of City-Killer Pilotless Drone Crashes on Takeoff Las Vegas (U.R) A nuclear device of city-killer size was ex ploded in the Nevada desert to day, its savage fury slamming into more than a million dollars worth of U.S., weapons and sup plies in the biggest test this year of military equipment beneath the atom bomb. A group of observers -rom Canada and Great Britain watched from five and one-half miles away. The nuclear device, second most powerful detonated in tests this year, packed a wallop equivalent to 25,000 tons of TNT stronger by one-fourth than he bombs that flattened Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War II Costly Experiment . Part of the income taxes due from millions of citizens on this deadline day go to pay for atomic experiments and the equipment subjected to its blast, heat and radiation. By these tests, the Atomic Energy Com mission and the military get a bearing on how best to protect soldiers and civilians from the horrors of nuclear warfare. The blast, triggered at 11:15 a.m. (PST) atop a 400-foot tower, was the 12th of the 1955 series and the first set off at French man Flat, 55 miles northest of here, ince the first atomic can non shot in world history was fired there in 1953. AH deiona- Jtionsjsin.ee thsn 4'javebeen fired at nearby YuccVFlaV, also ISTSe" Nevada Proving Grounds. Minor Accident A minor incident marred the opening of today's test when a pilotless drone Shooting Star fighter plane scheduled to fly into the atomic blast, crashed on takeoff. No one was injured. Today's was not as powerful as a similar tower device ex ploded earlier this spring, but still wicked enough to blast to smithereens some of the military equipment ranged ground ground zero at the base of the tower. This was the major weapons effects test of the present series, and only once before has there been a more elaborate layout of items put to the fission test . Experiments Carried Out Approximately 40 different experiments were carried out be neath this device the strength of a bomb an enemy could be ex pected to use against supply cen ters in stategic cities where rail road terminals provide handy stockpiling facilities. The latest combat clothing, vehicles, road graders, tractors, cranes and even defensive forti fications were placed at varying distances from the slender steel tower which almost vanished in the blinding blast. Siskiyou County Business Suffer Through Shortage of Yreka, Calif. (U.R) R. W, Bower, supervisor of Klamath National Forest, said today the shortage ' of rain and snow in California could have serious effects on Siskiyou county busi ness and industry. Bower said precipitation this year is ranging from 68 per cent of normal at Happy Camp to 35 per cent at Mt. Hebron. He said all streams are low and that many of the smaller creeks are not running enough watery to reach the rivers at this time. Will Touch All "This shortage of moisture will no doubt effect many activi ties in the county and will di rectly or indirectly touch all of us," he said. Reports reaching here said some wells in the Montague area have gone dry and some farmers believe it is already too late for rain to help their lands. Hans Karsterisson, office man ager of the Federal Agricultur al Stabilization and Conserva tion County Committee, said the water shortage will be critical unless relief comes soon. He said deep-rooted crops, such as alfal fa, are practically beyond help now. However, he said late rains could save such shallow rooted BUM United Press Full Leased Wire Price 5c No. 22 Russia, Austria Sign Agreement On State Treaty Occupation Troops Would Be Withdrawn Moscow (U.R) Austria and Russia signed today a new state treaty agreement in which the Soviet promises to withdraw its occupation troops by the end of this year if a formal treaty can be put into effect by then. In doing so Russia dropped its insistence on keeping occupation troops in Austria indefinitely and thus removed one of the major points blocking a treaty agreement with the United States, Britain and France. The agreements signed today in the form of an aide memoire wiped out in four days of Aus-tro- Soviet talks a 10-year-old impasse in the cold war. Both Austria and Russia appeared op timistic the agreements would be approved by the West. To Release Prisoners The Soviets also agreed to re lease all Austrian prisoners of war and civilians presently held in the Soviet Union as soon as Soviet troops are withdrawn from Austria. This was another of the major points blocking a state treaty. These and other treaty terms agreed upon in the talks were announced in an official com munique issued shortly before Chancellor Julius Raab and his Austrian negotiators took off for Vienna with the statement "we return to Vienna a happy peo ple." Significant Move The fixing of a deadline for withdrawal of occupa tional troops was regarded as one of the most significant Soviet moves in more than nine years of treaty negotiations with the western Big Three. "Since - the"UlMteTi- States, 'Brit ain and France also must sign the state treaty, the next step is for them to consider the terms. A call was expected soon for a conference of the Big Four with Austria with the aim of meshing Western views with the Austra-Soviet agreement. State and Federal Tax Deadline Is Tonight Today is the deadline for fil ing state and federal income tax statements. Those post parked prior to midnight tonight will be accepted without pen alties. The federal tax office in the Federal building, 33 North Riv erside ave., will remain open until 7 p.m. today to aid in fill ing out statements. Aid in fill ing out state tax statements is being given by representatives of the state tax commission who have temporary offices in the courthouse. Federal tax statements should be mailed to Deputy Collector of Internal Revenue, Portland. State tax statements should be sent to Oregon State Tax Com mission, Salem. plants as grain Bower said the records show the winter of 1923-24 most near ly resembles this winter as far as lack of precipitation is con cerned. Bower said the snowpack at low elevations is unusually light on north slopes. On the south slopes, he said, the ground is bare Eisenhower Gets Backing From George On Policy of Silence on Quemoy, Matsu Augusta, Ga. (U.R) President Eisenhower today received pow erful backing from Democratic Sen. Walter F. George for the presidential policy against stat ing publicly whether the U.S. will fight to defend Quemoy and Matsu. Visit at Golf Club The Georgia Democrat, who heads the Senate Foreign Rela tions Committee, visited Mr. Eisenhower Thursday at the Augusta National Golf Club where the President is combin ing work and play on a vacation from Washington.' George said a public state ment by the President on U.S. intentions regarding Quemoy land Matsu would turn a tick SalEt Vaccinations Delayed for Week The Salk anti-polio vaccina-1 Dr. Merkel said. This means that tion program in Jackson coun ty has been delayed a week and will not start until Monday, April 25, it was announced short ly before noon today by Dr. A. E. Merkel, county health officer. Start of the vaccination pro gram for first and second grade pupils tentatively had been slated to start next Monday. The decision to set back the program one week was made because of lack of definite information as to when the vaccine will arrive here. To Follow Salk Advice Dr. Jonas Salk's recommen dation on use of the vaccine will be followed in Jackson county, Talent Woman Hurt By Hit-Run Car; Driver Is Sought Mrs. Ruby Bartley, 55, route 1, box 237, Talent, was taken to Ashland hospital for treatment of serious injuries last night aft er being struck by an unidenti fied automobile, it was reported this morning. State police., said that a two state search is being conducted for the driver of the car which hit Mrs. Bartley some time last evening. She was found in a ditch south of the Talent junc tion at about 9 p.m., and was taken to the hospital. She had a broken wrist, both legs were broken, and the extent of her internal injuries is not yet de; termined. Thrown Into Ditch As state police reconstructed the event, Mrs. Bartley was walking north along Highway 99 toward a store. She apparent ly was hit by a passing south bound car, and thrown into the ditch where she was later found by Philip R. Turpin and two companions. Their addresses are not listed. When officers tried to talk to her in the hospital, she was in no condition to tell them any details they reported. It is still uncertain as to just what time Mrs. Bartley was hit. Officers are conducting an in tensive investigation this morn ing, following up a few clues which they have found. The Calif drffia " highway - patrol has been notified, and is on the look out for a car which was describ ed to officers here. Underpass Project Contract Awarded Portland (U.R) A contract for construction of a second un- derpass beneath the Southern Pacific raliroad just north of Ashland, and widening the high way into the city, was let by the state highway commission late yesterday. Low bidder and winner of the contract was Miller & Strong, Inc., Eugene. The low bid was $252,950. Highway 99 now narrows to two lanes just north of the under pass, ine proposed project wm widen the highway under the railroad through the construction of the separate underpass, and will carry four lanes as far as the city limits. The commission also let a con tract for construction of a cul vert on Quartz creek and a bridge on McNeil creek to E. W. Construction Co., Eugene, on a low bid of $13,470. Expected To Rain, Snow up to 5400 feet in many places. Snow surveyors in Klamath National Forest gave these fig ures from July 1 to April 1: This Year Normal Yreka Oak Knoll ... Happy Camp Fort Jones . Callahan .. 6.75 9.95 35.96 9.36 11.42 17.92 22.50 53.19 23 17.62 lish, dangerous issue into a political football. He said the cause of peace could not be served by the Presi dent declaring in advance what this country would do in event of a Red Chinese attack on the Nationalist- held off-shore islands in the Formosa Strait. Views Conflict George's views were directly contrary to those of some equal ly powerful Senate Republicans. Sen. William F. Knowland (R Calif.), Senate minority, leader, and Sen. Styles Bridges (R-N.H.) have urged that the Prssident or the secretary of state make a public declaration of what the United States would do in event of an attack oh Matsu and Que a second shot will be given one week following the first. The third, or booster shot. then will be given seven months to one year later. The first two shots will be paid for by the National Foundation for Infan tile Paralysis. The third shot must be paid for by the indivi duals. Dr. Merkel said this morning that the Salk vaccine is expect ed to be available to private phy sicians in Jackson county about as soon as it will be available for the first and second grade inocu lation program. Some private physicians already are preparing waiting lists for inoculations. Under the new schedule the inoculation program for first and second graders in Medford will start Monday, April 25, at Lin coln school. The rest of the pro gram in Medford will be: Tues day, April 26, St. Mary's school; Wednesday, 'April 27, Washing ton school; Thursday, April 28, Jackson school; Friday, April 29, Roosevelt school. This schedule supersedes that published on Page 1 of Section 2 of today's issue of The Mail Tribune, which was prepared before the change in plans. Orchard Heating General in Valley; Expect No Damage Orchard heating was general throughout the Medford area early today as temperatures dropped to an estimated 24 de grees in the coldest spots. Little or no commercial fruit damage from the cold was expected. Some orchards reported that the temperature dropped twice during the early morning hours. Heaters were lighted after the first drop, shortly after 3 a.m., and a smaller drop occurred at about 5:15 a.m. County Agent Don Berry said clouds which came over the val ley between 3:30 and 4 a.m. helped the situation. "It could have been a bad night," he said. A feature of this morning's heating was the fact that some orchards were heated with wood fires instead of the oil heaters long used in this area. Kershaw -orchard,-a 75-acre- tfETcTT' and several-smaller blocks reported ly were heated by Presto-log fires this morning. Smoke Said Less The wood fires, together with the increasingly large number of return stack heaters in the area, ; were credited by many people for what appeared to be less of the oily black smoke than usually results from general orchard heating. This morning's cold was ac companied by one bit of freakish weather in the Ashland , area, where snow on the ground was reported by the owner of one nteach orchard: Low temperature at the weath er bureau this morning was 28 degrees. Low tonight is expected to be about 34, at which tem perature heating is not needed. Three Courses Open In School Integration Washington (U.R) The Su preme Court today faced one of the toughest decisions in its 166- year history, how and when to require Southern states to open the same school door to white and Negro children. At the end of a four - day hear ing on the momentous issue, three courses were open to the high court order gradual in tegration, immediate integration or a middle course. If the justices had expected some spirit of compromise be tween opposing parties at the hearings, they were disappoint ed. Southern states remained in their opposition to any order re quiring immediate integration. And the Negro groups were equally insistent that color bars in schools be abolished by next fall or by 1956 at the very latest. moy. George expressed most of his views on the Formosa Strait Is lands in an address before the Georgia Bankers Association. George said he and the Pres ident discussed the advantages of Mr. Eisenhower's program to exchange secret atomic informa tion with NATO countries. FOA Functions Discussed He said he also talked with Mr. Eisenhower about an im- pending executive order to trans fer functions of the Foreign Ope rations Administration to the State Defense Departments. George predicted that the for eign aid envisioned by the Presi dent would be approved by Congress without serious disagreement.
