o
O
o
CLEANUP The Allman family lean to the
job of cleaning up in Yuba City, Calif., after
the swollen Feather' and Yuba rivers broke
through weakened levees and filled their
home with water and silt. Here, Mr. and Mrs.
Leader of Malaya
Guerrillas Meets
Vith Government
Baling, Malaya (U.R) Chin
Peng, young leader of the Ma
layan Communist guerrillas,
came out of the jungle today
to talk peace with government
officials. They promptly dead
locked over recognition of the
Communist party.
The 34-year-old Chin insisted
that the outlawed Communist
party be recognized. A com
munique issued after the open
ing 3Vi hour session said the
government refused the demand.
To Meet Tomorrow
A second session followed
after an hour recess and ad
journed with an agreement by
both sides to rneet again tomor
row. The communique saia the
talks were carried on in "an
atmosphere of understanding?"
Chin said the Communists
want peace, and for that reason
he said he agreed to come out
of the jungle and attend the
meeting at great risk.
The glum-looking Chin was
once a British war hero its
"most trusted guerrilla" leader
in the war against the Japanese.
He emerged from his jungle
hideout today for the first time
in years and entered this small
north alayan village escorted
by gritish trocigE.
Chin, the secretary general
of the Malayan Communist
partjkOand his Qwo lieutenants,
Chen Tien and Abdul Rashid bin
Mahideen, headed the Commu
nist delegation. They met with
David Marshall, chief minister
of Singapore, and Engku Abdel
Rahman, chief minister of the
Federation of Malaya.
Talk Site Guarded
The talkSfegan in a heavily
guarded schoolhouse in this vil
lage by the Siamese border. The
principles, including Sir Cheng
Lock Tan, head of the Malayan
Chinese association, posed for
picrur for 15 minutes and then
sat down for a three-hour ses-
sion.
??the
talks are successful,"!
theyvill end one of the bitter
est and oldest struggles between
the Crimunists and the free
world since the end of World
War II. The fighting in the
jungles has been long and vic
ious and both sides have indi
cated they are tired of it.-
Bald Eagle Among Birds
Counted by Medford Group
A bald eagle was the most
notable bird observed by a Med
ford group in the 56th annual
Christmas time bird count here
sponsored by the National Aud
ubon (gfciety.
The count was conducted by
Mrs. Howard Bush and the Rev.
and J. Thomas McSamant
yesterday.
The group also reported the
first local appearance of star
lings. The European bird, re
garded as a pest in many East
ern localities, has-been increas
ing ir.Qwestern Oregon during
the past few years, Mr. MCam
ant said. A total of 159 starlings
were counted.
Territory Cored
Territory covered by bird
watchers is limited to a 15-mile
diameter circle by regulations
of the Audubo'n society. The lo
cal group covered Rill areas eas
of Medford, other areas adjacent
to the city, and valley areas
along Crater Lake ave. and An
telope rd. to " ankee creek.
Some attention was given water
fowl population in ponds, Mr.
McCamant said.
The most numerous species
observed was the robin, with
321, Mr. McCamant said, fol
lowed by 159 starlings and 158
juncos. The number of robins
counted is less than last year, he'
said, because they are not using
ft jsg i
I 7 " -
SViedford B
Plans Calle
Plans to bring Medford into
the Northwest Class B baseball
league have been abandoned, it
was announced today by Harry
Chipman, who has been acting as
chairman of the movement.
Public apathy toward the plan
was given as the reason for the
action. "Baseball fans in this
area apparently do not want
professional baseball badly
enough to get behind the move
ment with work and money,
Chipman said.
Park Facilities Needed
It was the consensus of opinion
of the committeemen that if Med-
Hale Is Returned
To Grants Pass
Fred Hale, 43, Grants Pass,
whose light plane crashed Satur
day in rugged mountain area
near Black Bar lodge, 25 miles
west of Grants Pass, was re
turned to Grants Pass today by
a Mercy Flights plane.
Hale was picked up at Marial,
on the lower Rogue river, by an
Army helicopter and taken to
North Bend where he was trans
ferred to a Mercy Flights plane
piloted by George Milhgan,
Medford. Hale was accompan
ied on the flight by his phy
sician, V. E. Mikkelson, Grants
Pass.
According to Milligan, Hale
suffered facial burns but was
able to walk.
' Hale, who had flown Walter
Geer to Marial, was returning
home when his light plane was
caught in an air current and
tossed into trees, Milligan said.
Hale was taken to Marial by
Glenn Wolldridge, veteran river
guide. A ground rescue party
of loggers arrived about 20 min
utes before the helicopter but
it was decided to wait for air
transportation.
Oregon Flood Waters
Involve 1,430 Families
Salem U.R) Flood waters
in Oregon have involved about
1430 families and 157 business
organizations, the Oregon Civil
Defense agency reported today
The information was request
ed from civil defense to deter
mine the expected work load in
Oregon for the Small Business
administration following the
emergency.
roosts in the Bear creek bottom
"and.'
The tojal number of species
listed this year is 50, six more
than last year. Birds and the
number observed this year are:
Birds Listed
Pied billed grebe 1, great blue
heron 1, mallard 2, American
widgeon 3; green winged teal
40, fhoveller 1, red head 1, rud
dv duck 54, bald eagle 1, red
tailed hawk 1, marsh hawk 1
sparrow hawk 4, California
quail 68, ring necked pheasant
2, American coot 22, killdeer 1,
mourning dove 26, red shafted
flicker 34, acorn woodpecker
1, Lewis' woodpecker 1, red
breasted sapsucker 1, Steller's
jay 2.
Scrub jay 30, mountain chick
adee 4, plain titmouse 16, white
breasted nuthatch 2, Berwick's
wren 6, American robin 321,
varied thrush 2, hermit thrush
2, western bluebird 59, ruby
crowned kinglet 3, common
starling 159, Audubon's warbler
1, English sparrow 40, western
meadowlark 21, red winged
blackbird 3, Brewer's blackbird
123, brown headed cowbird 44,
American goldfinch 15, lesser
goldfinch 6, spotted towhee 16,
brown towhee 9, savannah spar
row 6, lark sparrow 15, Oregon
junco 158, white crowned spar
row 9, golden crowned sparrow
17, fox sparrow 1, song spar
row 1.
Marion Allman, assisted by daughter, Caro
lyn, 14, clean up the kitchen of their home.
The water within the home reached a level
equal to the height of Carolyn's shoulders.
asstjuSI
ford had adequate park facilities,
backing could be obtained but
too many prospective financers
were pessimistic regarding the
committee's plans to renovate
the Fairgrounds park in time for
the 1956 season, it was pointed
out.
Chipman said that Medford
possibly could' be extended an
other invitation to join the
league in 1957 but he said the
committee felt that if the city
was to have an entry at that
time, it would be necessary for
the city, county, or some other
group to take over the task of
renovating the baseball park or
to build a new one, while an
other group undertook the job of
financing.
"The series of meetings and
conversations with interested
people brought out the fact that
a city the size of Medford cer
tainly should be represented in
professional baseball, but not
enough people were interested in
doing something about it," Chip-
man said.
Summer Start Seen Needed
If another invitation to join
the league is extended for the
1957 season, the committee felt
that starting in the summer of
1956 to develop interest, it might
be possible to "sell" the valley
on professional baseball if field
facilities are adequate at that
time.
County Schools Will
Open Again January 3
All county schools are sched
uled to open Jan. 3, it was an
nounced today by County School
Superintendent Alf Mekvold.
The superintendent returned to
his office yesterday after conva
lescence from injuries suffered
in a traffic accident Dec. 15.
No major damage was sustain
ed by county schools in the re
cent flood, he said, although
some districts found minor re
pairs necessary.
Reports indicate that roads
will be accessible in all parts of
the county, with the possible ex
ception to the extreme ends of
badly washed areas.
Work on a new well is ex
pected to be completed at the
Elk-Trail school by Jan. 3 and
and water systems are expected
Lone Pine school's new sewage
to be completed soon.
Russian Budget
Trimming Doubted
Washington (U.R) Congres
sional leaders doubted today
that Russia really has trimmed
its defense spending budget
Moscow announced Monday
that it would cut military spend
ing 8.5 per cent next year. But
congressmen cautioned that the
Kremlin "propaganda" is no ba
sis for changing U.S. defense
plans.
"I don't think we can rely on
statements that emanate from
the Russian government," Sen.
John L. McClellan (D-Ark.) said.
"Therefore, unless we get con
firmation from other reliable
sources, we shouldn't be affected
by her purported actions."
Settlement Reached
In Wilsonville Crash
Portland (U.R) A
compromise settlement
$1900
in a
S6891 damage suit brought
against the U. S. government by
three property owners near
Wilsonville where a B-29 bomb
er crashed in 1952 was approv
ed today by Federal Judge Gus
J. Solomon.-
The property owners are
Norman and Sadie Taylor and
Ida Myers. They complained
the bomber destroyed fences
and damaged a house plus hay,
grass and corn crops.
The 11 occupants of the B-29
were killed after a mid-air col
lision with a jet fighter which
later landed safely.
President Arrives
For Two-Week Stay
In Southern City
Brother Milton,
Physician on Trip
Key West, Fla. (U.R) Presi
dent Eisenhower flew today to
Key West, the nation's southern
most city, for a two-week stretch
of sunshine, rest and work.
The presidential plane, Col
umbine II, touched down at the
airport here after a three-hour,
34-minute flight from the frosty
winter temperatures at Wash
ington. A cavalcade, with the Presi
dent in the lead in a Cadillac,
crossed newly named Eisenhow
er dr. at the junction of Truman
ave. and Roosevelt blvd.
Informal Reception
The reception was almost in
formal compared to the greet
ings extended former President
Truman during his 11 visits
here.
There was no reception line of
city and county officials. Several
hundred civilians were waiting
at the end of the runway to
wave at the President..
Mr. Eisenhower stepped from
the plane and waved with his
hat to the small crowd. Only a
few clouds were in the sky. The
73-degree temperature compar
ed to 28 degrees at noon in
Washington.
Key West's 30,000 residents
started lining the route of the
motorcade to the naval base
some three hours before Mr.
Eisenhower's plane arrived. '
Brother Makes Trip
Accompanying the President,
among others, were his brother,
Dr. Milton Eisenhower, and his
physician, Maj. Gen. Howard
McC. Snyder. Mrs. Eisenhower
was remaining in Washington to
be near her daughter - in - law,
Barbara, who gave birth to her
fourth child last week.
The President's decision to
make the trip to Key West came
as a surprise and represented a
change of mind on his part.
His doctors had been urging
him to go south for some mild
exercise in a warmer climate as
part of his recuperation from
his heart attack.. But rmly last
week Mr. Eisenhower indicated
he intended to ignore their sug
gestion. At that time he informed the
Key West Chamber of Com
merce that he did not think he
would be able to get away, from
Washington this winter and that
if he did, he probably would go
only as far south as Georgia.
What caused the President to
change his mind was a mystery.
420 Traffic Deaths
Over New Year's Seen
Chicago U.R) Safety ex
perts feared today that the na
tion will follow its all-time
"Black Christmas" holiday mas
sacre with a New Year's record
for deaths on the highways.
The National Safety council
said the "cold figures" forced it
to predict 420 deaths in traffic
crashes during the holiday pe
riod between 6 p.m. next Friday
to midnight Monday.
A 420 death toll would be far
below the record total of 621
persons who died in traffic dur
ing the three-day Christmas
holiday last week end. But it
would set a new' record for a
New Year's holiday making it
the second shameful mark set
in the nation within a period of
one week.
Many state governors, shock
ed by the all-time, all-holiday
Christmas toll, moved quickly
to hold down the death count
next week end.
Cold, Fair Weather
Forecast for Valley
Temperatures dropped to an
official low of 25 degrees last
night as weather in the Medford
vicinity continued a transition
from last week's" wet and mild
to cold and fair.
The mercury at the Medford
station of the weather bureau
was expected to fall to a low of
20 degrees tonight. No sharp
warmup for several days is fore
seen. However, fair weather is
anticipated tomorrow with early
morning fog clearing by noon.
Only a trace of precipitation
was reported at the weather sta
tion at the airport in the 24
hours up to 4:30 a.m. today. But
some snow fell last night and
thin layers of the snow froze to
the tops of automobiles.
DOW-JONES AVERAGES
New York (U.R) Dow-Jones
final stock averages: 30 indus
trials 484.22 off 1.59; 20 railroads
163.09 off 0.30; 15 utilities 64.13
up 0.01; and 65 stocks 171.85 off
0.39. Sales today were about
1,990,000 shares compared with
2,010,000 shares traded yesterday.
Mf
United Press F
50th Year 14 Pa.
Officials Estimate .1
Flood Damage Here
About $800,000
CD Mokes Estimate
For Emergency Repairs
Estimates of the dollars and
cents damage caused by last
week's floods in Jackson county
mounted today as official
agencies began totaling pros
pective costs in various cate
gories. It began to appear that the
total might go over $800,000.
Gov. Paul Patterson this
morning telephoned the county
civil defense agency to request
an estimate of emergency repair
costs in three categories. Maj.
Gen. Joseph Hicks, civil defense
administrator, early this, after
noon listed preliminary esti
mates as follows:
Amounts Listed
For work essential to protect
life and property only a few
hundred dollars; for clearing
wreckage and debris, an esti
mated $30,000, emergency and
temporary repairs to roads,
creeks, bridges, sewers, disposal
systems and septic tanks, an
estimated $275,000, for a total
of more than $300,000.
Gen. John Hargraves of the
state civil defense agency is due
here today to continue the pre
liminary survey, and later will
be followed by a civil defense
committee representing the gov
ernor's office. The estimates will
be used by Governor Patterson
to prepare requests for federal
disaster' assistance.
Meanwhile, a "horseback" es
timate, of $500,000 damage to
homes, businesses and personal
property was made by Mrs. O.
A. Eden, vice-chairman for dis
aster relief for the Red Cross
here. She said a more accurate
tally would have to await a more
detailed survey. Her ' estimate
does not include road or agri
cultural damage.
Based on Survey
Mrs. Eden based her figure on
an earlier Red Cross survey and
on her own observation during
visits to the Shady Cove and
Rogue River flood areas during
her work as disaster relief co
ordinator before arrival of pro
fessional personnel.
County Judge Rodney Keating
this morning designated the Red
Cross as the official disaster re
lief agency in the county. In a
proclamation, he pointed out the
work already done by the Red
Cross, and said it will follow
with rehabilitation assistance to
all in need of such assistance.
"I urge all our citizens to ex
tend their full cooperation to
the Red Cross in this time of
great need. All agencies, both
public and private, are requested
to extend to the Red Cross their
full support," he said. -
Miss v Josephine McNamara,
Red Cross disaster worker from
San Francisco, said the procla
mation makes it unnecessary for
othei? agencies to carry on relief
work alone, and that now all
work in the flood areas can now
be coordinated through one of
fice. She welcomed the cooper
ation of other agencies.
Accept Gifts
Although the National Red
Cross has given a "blank check"
to the local chapter to pay for
flood assistance, Miss McNa
mara said the local organization
will gladly accept gifts of funds
to carry on the work.
Red Cross assistance includes
emergency relief, and rehabilita
tion assistance for homes and
small businesses not eligible for
loans.
E. O. Sheard, of the Portland
office of .the small business ad
ministration, arrived here today,
and said the agency has author
ized any local bank to accept ap
plications for disaster loans for
homes and businesses.
A temporary office will be set
up in Grants Pass soon, he said,
and Red Cross centers in Shady
Cove and Rogue River will ar
range for local applicants to meet
with a representative of the ad
ministration. Loans, either joint
ly with lending agencies or di
rect, may be authorized by the
SBA. Further details on the
loans, and how to apply, will be
published tomorrow.
Weather
FORECAST: Fair and cold to
night with valley fog early
Thursday morning, clearing
oy noon. Low tonight 20.
High Thursday 40.
Tern p.
Highest Yesterday 40
Lowest this Morning .....25
Prec. to 4:30 a.m. Today, Trace.
f
IV
iEDFORD, OREGON, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 28, 1955
Califee Mops Up
,
Se
In
rvices Restored
fJW California
Eureka, Calif. (U.R) Residents of Humboldt and Del Norte
counties, isolated for a week by swirling flood waters, were at
last joined to the outside world today.
Telegraph and telephone communications were restored yester
day for the first time since last Thursday. Press association tele
types brought the news of the world to newspapers and radio
stations.
Highway crews repaired the Klamath river bridge and opened
U.S. Highway 101 north of Eureka for the first time in a week.
However, travel to the south was limited to 30 miles. Emer
gency vehicles were being convoyed to Garberville, 75 miles south
of Eureka.
' The only way to get to San Francisco from Eureka was by
way of a 400-mile detour through Grants Pass, Ore.
Mail service was also restored and the Pacific Gas and Electric
company succeeded in restoring power to the flood stricken cities
and towns of the two counties.
More than 2000 persons were living in emergency shelters. A
preliminary count showed 400 homes wiped out and 1500 others
damaged.
In San Francisco Safeway Stores announced it has chartered
five air flights a day to ship perishable foods into Areata, Eureka
and Fortuna. Each flight will carry 14,000 pounds of fresh fruits
and vegetables, frozen foods, meat, butter and eggs. y
Prices will not be raised despite the higher cost of flying in
the fresh foods, Safeway officials said.
Armour and Company chartered a Flying Tiger freight plane
to fly 14,000 pounds of meat to Eureka yesterday and another
14,000 pounds today.
Coquille To Bandon
Only Danger Areas
Remaining
Portland (U.R) Only re
maining danger spot today in
Oregon's improving flood pic
ture appeared to be from Co
quille to Bandon along the Co
quille river in southwestern
Oregon.
A nine-foot tide in that hard
hit area was expected to cause
more trouble today. The river
itself was reported down to 26
feet. .
Elsewhere, rivers were report
ed dropping and residents were
surveying destruction and start
ing the big cleanup. Civil de
fense workers said much dam
age remained to be totalled,
especially in isolated sectors.
Officials said 10 homes on a
bluff at Glasgow, overlooking
Coos Bay, were in danger of
falling into the bay.
Full electric power was ex
pected to be restored in North
Bend and Coos Bay today. There
still was delay in long distance
telephone calls to the Coos Bay
Coquille area.
The toll in human life over
the week-long flood period stood
at 13 dead and three missing.
Ed Audther, 36, Coos county
ranch worker, was identified as
the 13th victim. He fell into the
Coos river and drowned.
Telephone and power lines
restored in Grants Pass yester
day and the city's sewer system
was expected to be in full opera
tion today.
162 Cattle Drown
Southern Pacific passenger
train service over the Cascade
route was reported normal.
Coast highway 101 was closed
between Coquille and Bandon.
Coos county civil defense
Road Conditions
Highway 99 Over Siski
yous,, packed snow, carrying
chains advised; 6 inches new
snow; 11 inches ioial. North,
Highway 99 is open.
Highway 66 Green Springs
packed snow, carrying chains
advised; 2 inches new snow.
Highway 199 Slick over
Oregon mountain; closed earli
er loday, expected to open
early this afternoon.
Highway 101 Between
Layionville and Eureka,
Calif., open io emergency traf
fic only with daylight convoy;
closed at Coquille.
Highway 42 Coquille to
Myrtle Point open to one-way
traffic with delays; Myrtle
Point to Roseburg, closed by
slides.
Gold Beach io Port Orford
open io light traffic only,
delays up io one hour.
Highay 62 Packed snow,
carrying chains advised; 2
inches new snow.
Crater Lake National Park
Highway 62 and road io
rim open; chains required An-'
nie Springs to rim, advised on
Highway 62. 5 inches new
snow; present depth 84 in
ches; ikiiag fair.
A. T'T.
in State
workers yesterday reported the
death of 162 head of cattle in
flooding around Coquille. They
said 351 head were evacuated.
v State police at Roseburg said
the Umpqua river was down but
that the city's sewage disposal
plant was badly damaged and
might be out of service for some
time.
At uregon uty, two paper
mills were restored to full oper
ation vesterdav.
Russian Respect for
Four-Power Pad Seen
Berlin U.R Soviet release
of an American airman arrested
by the East German Communists
makes it clear the Russians will
respect four power agreements
on treatment of Western Allied
Nationalists in the city, Ameri
can officials said today.
Action of the Soviets in re
turning MSgt. Mike Kliman,
45, Brooklyn, was seen as a re
buff to the East Zone Commuists
who labeled him a "drunken dri
ver" and demanded his trial by
a Communist court.
The Communist press and ra
dio denounced the sergeant in
a campaign as bitter as that di
rected against two other Ameri
can soldiers arrested recently in
East Berlin on charges of strik
ing an East German actor.
The Americans . were braced
for a test case on four power oc
cupation rights when the Soviets
released Kliman 23 hours after
his arrest by East German police
as a "drunken American occu
pier" after his car collided in
East Berlin with a speeding taxi.
New Year's Holiday Looms
As Test for Dionne Family
Montreal (U.R) The New
Year's holiday plans of the four
surviving Dionne quintuplets
loomed today as a test of the
seriousness of the rift between
the famous girls and their fam
ily. Marie and Annette "are sup
posed to be going home for New
Years."
Cecile and Yvonne "will be
working."
Worked on Christmas
But at Notre Dame de L'Es
perance hospital, officials said
student n u r s e s Cecile and
Yvonne had worked through
Christmas day and were to take
a three-day holiday at New
Years.
In North Bay, Ont, Oliva
Dionne, the girls' father, made
no effort to hide his grief that
none of the "Quints" had re
turned home ..for Christmas.
He publicly blamed "outside
intruders for this separation"
but refused to identify the "out
siders." "We didn't even receive a
United Press Fall Leased Wire
Price 5c
No. 239
Sun Welcomed;
Situation Still
Critical in Delta
State Estimates
47 Persons Dead
San Francisco (U.R) Cali
fornia, beset by a week of tor
rential rains and catastrophic
floods, welcomed today the re
turn of its famed sunshine.
As thousands of persons began
the grim task of cleaning up their
flood ravaged homes, the state
listed 47 dead and estimated the
damage conservatively at $100,
000,000. Floods took another 13
lives in Oregon.
Even with a break in the
weather, the danger from fur
ther floods was not yet over in
the delta area. This is a vast
area of islands and channels
through which the swollen Sac
ramento and San Joaquin rivers
are dumping their muddy waters
into San Francisco Bay.
"The situation is still criti
cal," said the San Joaquin county
sheriff's office at Stockton early
today. "It will remain critical
at least through tomorrow."
Levees Have Held
So far, the soggy levees man
aged to hold back the surging
river waters and to fend off
high tides backing into the delta
area from the bay.
At Isleton, a community of
z,uuu persons on the lower Sac
ramento river, 200 men worked
day and night to bolster the
levees with sandbags. Mayor
Morris Stewart said the levees
withstood a high tidef 9.8 feet
Tuesday.. .
"It's still very dangerous and
it's a mighty tough battle," he
said, "but we're holding."
The town has been battling
flood waters and high tides for
seven straight days. The main
danger lies a mile and a Kfelf
south of the town, where the
San Joaquin and Mokelumne
rivers join. The Sacramento
flows on the north side of tow.
Rio Vista in Trouble 0
The town of Rio Vista, on the
Sacramento river five miles
west of Isleton, also was battling
high waters, but it was having
an easier time of it. Much of that
town lies on higher ground.
Levees in the delta area of
Contra Costa county, which lies
west of San Joaquin county,
were holding against 4he San
Joaquin river. Some lateral frac
tures were reported, but they
were on the inside of the levees
rather than on the water side.
Meanwhile, Yuba City went
under a virtual state of martial
law. Three hundred national
guardsmen patrolled the flooded
streets to guard against looters.
The Feather river sent a new
crest through a huge hole in the
levee along Yuba City yesterday,
flooding the deserted town for
the second time in less than a
week. The 10,000 residents were
still barred from their homes,
mainly because of a contami
nated water supply and no sew
age system.
New York (U.R) Comedian
Jackie Gleason will enter a hos-Q
pital early next year for a minor
operation.
card from them," he said. "They
didn't write. They didn't phone.
They did nothing to tell us
where or how they planned to
spend Christmas."
Yvonne burst into tears when
a reporter told her of her fath
er's statement.
"It's not true. Don't believe
it," Yvonne said outside her
room at the hospital.
When asked why her parents
had not received a Christmas
card, Yvonne explained, "We
sent one. Is it our fault they
didn't get it?"
To Stay On Duty
Why they hadn't telephoned?
"We were on duty. It's not easy,
this job . . . Marie and Annette
are supposed to be going home
for New Years. We have to stay
on duty."
No telephone calls were ac
cepted at the Dionne home in
North Bay Tuesday night.
Dionne also ignored telegrams
sent to him by Canadian report
ers. (See story on Page 13)
O