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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 30, 1956)
11 Known 3 Tofts Pie Irrt n (rb tare! Fir mm ail iu i , , . Mother, Father Absent as Blaze Destroys Home Neighbors Battle Flames With Hoses v. Pendleton (U.R) Three children Vied in the flaming .ruins of their home at Rieth about five miles from here to day. The victims were Phyllis Jean O'Neal, 8; her sister, Carol Jane, 7, and a brother, Richard Den nis, 6. v They died while their father, Chester O'Neal, was taking two older boys, Chester Jr., 13, and 'Stanley, 10, on their paper route. The mother, Mrs. Ethelyn O'Neal, 34, was in St. Anthony's hospital here at the time after giving birth to her 10th child, a boy, Saturday night. A one-year-old boy, David, also was in the hospital at the time, re covering from an attack of pneumonia. Olher Children Absent Three other children, Peggy, 4; Connie, 3, and Leroy, 2, were at 'Adams with their aunt, Mrs. Donald Lusk. :- Witnesses said the fire broke out about 6 a.m. It's cause was not determined immediately. Raymond Long, a neighbor of the O'Neals, said he was awak ened shortly after 6 a.m. when Betty Styles, who lives across the street from the burned house, pounded on the door and shouted the home was burning. Inside 'Explodes' "The house was full of smoke and flames when I got there," Long said. "You couldn't get in the front door." He said he kick ed in a front bedroom window and the inside "seemed to ex plode." The children's grandfa ther, George Powers, who lives a few houses away, was at the scene a few minutes later. "The fire was breaking out 'every where," he said. "I tried to get in the back door but couldn't. When I opened the door the heat hit me." His hair was ' badly burned. Neighbors strung garden hoses to the house and poured small streams of water on the house but the home was a total loss. Two Deaths Mar Week End in State By UNITED PRESS ' Two widely separated high way fatalities marred the week end picture in Oregon as motor ists proceeded with caution over the highways of the state made dangerous by ice and snow. George R. Hoff, 25, Nyssa, was killed Saturday when his west bound car collided with a freight train at a county road crossing an eighth of a mile north of Nyssa. The impact of the collision demolished Hoffman's car and dragged his body 147 feet. The week end's other fatality occurred about 20 miles east of Springfield Sunday afternoon when Mrs. Jesse Hutchens, 50, was killed in a two-car accident on the icy McKenzie highway. Gale Roberts of Springfield, driver of the other car, was hos pitalized with undetermined in--iries. Council Meet Called To Consider Land Sale A special meeting of the Med ford city council has been called for 12 noon tomorrow by Mayor Earl Miller. Purpose of the meeting is to consider the sale of the old East side Fire Station site, lots one and two, block five, Euclid Park addition. RV Memorial Hospital Fund $90,000 Short of Goal; All-out Drive Beains An all-out drive to raise api proximately S9tJ,000 before Monday, Feb. 6, to reach the Rogue Valley Memorial hospital fund drive objective of $850,000 has begun, campaign headquart ers reported today. "Yfg face a crisis," Walter G. Garner, general organization campaign chairman, stated at an Elks club breakfast this morn ing ."If the people of Jackson count: who wish to take mem orials and memberships sub scribe within the next few days, the hospital will be a certainty." "Several hundred men have been working for over a month in order to make this hospital possible," Garner said. "If each' person now gives to the best of his ability, Jackson county will become a great medical center." A jfrge number of clubs and MEDFO United Press Full Leased 50th Year . 16 Pages Prime Minister Lauds President's Reply to Bulganin Tension in World Said 'About Normal' V Washington U.R) Brii ish Prime Minister Anthony Eden and President Eisenhow er joined in the first of a se ries of White House confer ences today in a 'constructive effort" lo advance world peace.' New York (U.R) British Prime- Minister Anthony Eden arrived today for top level talks with President Eisenhower and said he believed the President's week end reply to Soviet Pre mier Nicolai Bulganin was "ad mirable." Eden arrived aboard the Queen Elizabeth with a party of 25 for his conference, with the President which will begin in Washington with a lunch en gagement. He was scheduled to fly from La Guardia airport in the Columbine III. Asked if he thought the Bul ganin - Eisenhower exchange would improve international re lations, Eden said he thought world tension was about nor mal. Eisenhower Popular "We think this is a timely mo ment for a constructive effort by our two countries," he said. "Whenever we are together in foreign policy and purpose that is .the best contribution to the peace." Eden recalled that he had not visited this country for 18 months. His last trip was with Sir Winston Churchill, then Prime Minister. He said he was glad to be here to consult with Mr. Eisenhower and Secretary of State John Foster Dulles. Eden remarked that no Am erican had ever been more pop ular in Britain than President Eisenhower. In a brief shipboard news con ference attended by 100 report ers and cameramen, Eden made these quick points: 1. Middle-East: "I am anxious to make progress on the Middle Eastern problem ..." He said Israel's request for American arms was a matter for Wash ington to decide. Formosa Problem 2. Formosa: "Our policy and position on Formosa was laid down some time ago and it has not changed. 3. H-bomb: "I don't want to make an off-the-cuff policy on H-bombs." 4. Germany: "We are in favor of unification of Germany. We have not changed our policy nor I think have you." 5. Colonialism: Eden said it would be a "good idea" if there could be a joint Anglo-American statement on colonialism af ter the Washington talks. The Prime Minister's meeting with Mr. Eisenhower will be their first since last summer's Big Four summit meeting at Ge neva. organizations are now consider ing subscribing for memorials, it was announced. Medford Lions club recently subscribed EDE Rogue Valley Memorial Hospital Will Be Built With Your Help O If you have not been visited by one of the 220 volunteer workers and you wish to make a pledge to the community Me morial Hospital, sign this blank and mail it or phone Campaign Headquarters. A worker will visit you. Name Street or R.F.D-City Mail Request Headquarters, 28 So. Bart SIR ANTHONY EDEN Lunches with President Baldock Seeking $600,000 To Fix Damaged Highways . Salem (U.R) State Highway Engineer R. H. Baldock said to day he was applying to the U. S. Bureau of Roads for $600,000 in emergency relief funds to repair highways damaged by recent floods.- In addition, he said he would apply for slightly more than $1,000,000 in federal emergency relief funds to be used in recon structing nine sections of roads and raise the alignment of such roads to a point, above the 1955 flood level. Authority Granted Authority to make the request for the federal emergency funds was granted by the State High way Commission at its Portland meeting last week. Baldock said that the $10,000, 000 emergency relief funds grant ed by Congress to the Bureau of Roads now is "exhausted but a bill is pending before Congress providing for $30,000,000 for this fund to cover flood damage to roadways in the New England states as well as in Oregon and California. In a survey made by state highway engineers it was found that flood damage in 124 loca tions in Oregon would require an expenditure of S85,200 to make necessary repairs. Baldock said it would be impractical to re quest federal aid for these small projects. The state will bear this cost. The nine projects include the Sauer's flat section of the Red wood high w y in . Josephine county; riverbanks farm section of the . Rogue River loop sec ondary highway In Josephine county: China gulch-Copper road section of the Medford-Provolt highway, Jackson county. Moses Lake (U.R) Fire last night destroyed the Western Cold Storage Warehouse here, and damage estimates ran as high as $250,000. for a room in the children's ward, in keeping with their policy of using money for. child welfare. . , . Rogue Valley Memorial , Hospital Campaign left, Medford, or Phone 3-4579 United ON, MONDAY, JANUARY 30, 1956 R TALKS Students Schedule Youth Government Conference Feb. 4 Meet Paves Way for Youth Legislature ; More than 120 high school seniors from Klamath Falls; Grants Pass, Ashland and Med ford, are expected to take part in a YMCA youth and govern ment program here Saturday, Feb. 4, Frank Van Dyke, district chairman, announced today. The conference is designed to prepare students to "take over" the state government at Salenq, April 27-28, as part of the state Youth Legislature program. Students will nominate mem bers of the group to fill positions as chaplain and clerk of the sen ate, sergeant at arms of the house of representatives, two legislative committeemen, two al ternate committeemen and three reporters who will represent the Southern Oregon district in the youth legislature. Elections will be held at a 6:30 p.m. banquet at the YMCA, 522 West Sixth st. Marshall Wo dell, Southern Oregon, will present an opening address on the purpose of the youth legislature following reg istration at. the YMCA. at 9:30 a.m. A panel of experts will out line governmental problems and procedures to students. Robert Root, former legislator, will dis cuss taxation problems; Ralph Jones, superintendent of schools at Grants Pass, will present a panel on education; A. C. Pierce, retired president of Pierce Auto Freight lines, will speak on all phases of transportation prob lems; Diamond Flynn, former mayor of Medford, will discuss problems of state and local gov ernment, and a panel will be given on natural resources. Before nomination of officers at a noon luncheon, Dr. Clifford Miller, SOC history department, wiE speak on campaign proced ures of the past. Following the luncheon stu dents will divide into five legis lative groups, patterned after the discussion panels held in the morning. Van Dyke, former speaker of the state house of representatives, will outline committee procedures to the groups. . The students will meet with adult leaders and decide on bills they think should be presented to the legislature in areas where they feel the state needs additional legislation. Adult leaders for the discus sions will include Allen Pierce and the Y'smen of the Medford YMCA, Robert Boyer, Robert Duncan and Carl M. Brophy. Dr. U. G. Dubach, state chair man of the YMCA youth and government program, will speak at the evening banquet. About 60 students, expected to attend the conference from Klamath Falls, will be guests in the homes of Medford stu dents. Anniversary of Ghandi Death Threatens Rioting Bombay, India (U.R) Heavy police reinforcements took up strategic positions throughout Bombay today in fear of rioting on the eighth anniversary of the assassination of Mohandas K. Gandhi. A police patrol opened fire on a milling crowd in the city's steaming slums yesterday, injur ing two persons, and authorities feared more violence today. DOW-JONES AVERAGES New York U.R) Dow-Jones final stock averages: 30 indus trials 467.56, up 1.00; 20 rail roads 155.15, off 0.04; 15 utili ties 63.76," up 0.32, and 65 stocks 165.98, up 0.32, and 65 stocks were about 1,830,000 shares compared with 1,950,000 Friday. Salem (U.R) Austin F. Flegel of Portland, former chief of the economic aid mission to Thai land, has filed his candidacy here for delegate to the Demo cratic national convention from the third congressional district, Multnomah county. Tribune Press Full Leased Wire Price 5c No. 266 ROK Intelligence Chief Murdered On Way to Work Two Unidentified Assassins Escape Seoul U.R) Assassins dressed in Army uniforms and driving a Korean Army jeep to day murdered the Republic of Korea's Army counter-intelli gence chief, Mai. Gen. Kim Chang Yong. ' The 36-year-old Army officer was killed as he rode in his jeep to work from his home in Seoul at 7:30 a.m. Two unidentified men in Rok Army uniforms rode up beside him and pumped four bullets at the general. Two struck his chest, another ripped through his chin. The fourth hit the left foot of the driver. 1 The assailants escaped, but police said they were on their trail. Enemy of Communism General Kim was one of the most vigorous enemies of Com munism in the notably anti Communist government of Pres ident Syngman Rhee. Last October he arrested nine men accused of plotting the as sassination of Rhee. Since 1949 he has been chief ly responsible, for purging Com munist and leftist elements from the ROK Army. His methods have been harsh and efficient Although Kim was among the strongest anti - Communists in this bitterly anti-Red nation, high Army sources said they did not believe the killers were -Communists. .-, .-. ,i ' " -They" believe" he Ss'TheTvie tim of disgruntled South Ko reans who were caught up in his highly successful investiga tions. Three Men Jailed On Injury Charge Three Medford men were held in county jail under $1,500 bond each today following hearing in district court on charges of ma licious injury to personal prop erty. Jailed were Jesse M. Chan cellor Jr., 21, 510 Marie st.; Richard Dean Randall, 20, and Ben j amen V. Sanford Shearer, 19, both of 927 Brookdale rd. The three were arrested by sheriff's officers Saturday for al legedly breaking two aerials and two mirrors off cars parked near Central Point Thursday night. They were bound over to the grand jury. Sheriff's officers also arrested three Gold Hill youths, aged 15, 16, and 17, Saturday, in connec tion with the burglary of Beck er's drug store, Gold' Hill, and of the Gold Hill and Rogue River grade schools. They were re manded to juvenile authorities. Burglary Thursday night of the West Side school was re ported to the sheriff's office Fri day. Nothing was reported miss ing. David Oullette Puts Hard-Earned Dime Into Polio Battle David Oullette, five-year-old son of Mr. and Mrs. Cliff Oul lette, 1532 Terrace dr., be lieves in doing his share for the March of Dimes. Saturday David pursued Mailman Larry Rose down the street lo give him a dime and instructions to deliver it to "Doodyville," an imaginary city -on a television program which had asked children io send a dime which they had earned to help in the fight against polio. David had earned his dime by gathering acorns from his father's yard. While the dime won't get to Doodyville, it did find its way into local March of Dimes coffers. Weather FORECAST: Fair tonight. In creasing nigh cloudiness Tues day. A few patches valley fog morning hours. Low tonight 25. High Tuesday 45. Temp. Highest yesterday 45 Lowest this morning 27 TULLED A BONER' Agriculture Secy. Ezra Benson ad mitted in Washington that "we pulled a boner" and said Tm sorry about a letter praising a critical farm article in Harper's Magazine." Miller F. Shurtleff (left) and assist ant to Benson, received the letter from another Benson assistant, R. D. McMillen (right), and signed Benson's name to it. McMillen said Shurtleff had not. read the article . which the letter praised The article, in the nprernhpr ic. . sue, was titled "The Country Northwest Role in Atomic Energy Seen By A. ROBERT SMITH Mail Trbiune Correspondent Washington ' The Pacific Northwest is taking on increas ing importance in the nation's efforts to explore and develop the new field of atomic energy, the Atomic Energy Commission indicated guardedly in its semi annual report Monday. In Idaho, the AEC is planning to build up its reactor testing station at Arco with a $20,000, 000 construction program this coming year. Uranium in Oregon In Oregon, the AEC thinks the discovery of uranium holds out the prospect of new sources of this vital ore upon which all atomic material production de pends. - l In.,Washington,i-in addition,io.uranium--processing-ipoM,its.-AEG the continuing production, of Plu tonium at the Hanford works, there is the possibility of atomic-r powered warships being built at Puget Sound naval shipyard..- The Arco testing station near Idaho Falls is now the scene of much experimentation on va rious materials and is the . fa cility which tested the prototype submarine r.eactor (or ' atomic powerplant) for the Nautilus. The AEC disclosed Monday that by spring it will begin work on a prototype reactor for a surface vessel; and informed sources say this will be the powerplant for an atomic cruiser which the navy plans to build this coming year. Sen. Henry M. Jackson CD Wash.) has urged that the Brem erton shipyard be selected for construction of an atomic cruiser and the navy's atomic expert, Rear Adm. Hyman Rickover, has tentatively scheduled a visit to inspect the yard. Atomic Aircraft Engine In addition AEC is pushing ahead with construction of . an atomic, engine for aircraft use, and the Air Force has asked Con gress for funds to build runways and other .facilities at 'Arco where this project is to be con ducted. Oregon has begun to contrib ute to uranium ore production in the past six months from . two mines near Lakeview, which have shipped' small amounts of ore to government processing stations in Utah. AEC said this helped bring the number of producing mines up to 925, compared with 850 last June. Also, it said, the produc- H. L. Mencken, Noted Critic, Dies in Sleep Baltimore (U.R) -H. L. Mencken, the caustic critic of "Boobus Americanus," a cele brated newspaperman and . a noted language scholar, died early Sunday of a heart seizure. He was 75. Mencken was stricken in his sleep and died peacefully at the Baltimore home he shared with his brother, August. The manner of his death con trasted sharply with his life as a literary "disturber of the peace." From his pen as news paperman, essayist and maga zine editor flowed for more than a quarter of a century a stream of vitriolic comment about both sacred and profane aspects of U.S. life that both delighted and enraged readers. He spared nothing even re ligion and democracy. But his favorite targets were bigots, prudes, misguided idealists, and mediocrity. Slickers Take Us Again." tion rate from existing mines ' continued its sharp increase. Although winter has tempor arily stopped other prospecting in Oregon, the AEC has had ground reconnaissance crews in Eastern 'Oregon because explor ations in te area in recent months have been considered promising. Still Too Early An AEC spokesman said the government still considers it too early to be able to characterize the importance of the ore dis coveries to date in Oregon. . But it is. of sufficient import ance for AEC to have negotiated with western railroads for a low er scale of freight rates from Oregon, California and Nevada to . JCaluriite, Utah, and other reported that this has resulted in rate reductions of from 10 to 33 per cent, "Negotiated in the interest of increasing uranium ore supply," said AEC, "such reductions are normally an incentive to ore pro duction in the areas involved." Western Europe Praises Ike's Action London (U.R) Western Eu rope today praised President Eisenhower's gentle rejection of Soviet Premier Nikolai Bul ganin's offer, for a 20-year peace treaty with - the United States. Moscow remained silent. .' Though little official comment was forthcoming from the capi tals of Free Europe, there was unconcealed satisfaction with the manner in which the President dealt with a maneuver most Europeans thought was designed to split the Anglo-American al liance. Diplomatic observers in Mos cow said Russia probably real ized in- advance that Mr. Eisen hower would reject the pact. The Bulganin letter appeared in the Soviet press, but the Presi dent's reply had not yet been published. Moscow diplomats thought the Russian offer was a shrewd move to win more friendship in the more impressionable Asian countries at expense of the Unit ed States to make it appear the United States was rejecting a bona fide peace offer. AEC Developing Several New Weapons, Report Says Washington-r-U.R) The Atom ic Energy Commission said to day it is , developing . several brand new weapons which "will strengthen materially the de fenses of this nation and the free world-." It also disclosed for the first time that -tests have started in Idaho on a stationary forerun ner of atomic engines, for air craft And construction of a test power plant big enough for air craft carriers will start in the spring. Expansion Reported With' production of nuclear weapons at the highest level in history, the AEC reported "sev eral important" expansions of the far flung plants where atom ic and hydrogen bombs and war heads are developed and manu factured. The commission made these disclosures in a semi-annual re-. 227 Injured as Flames Break Up Supper Gathering Men Became Beasts, Eyewitnesses Declare Baltimore U.R) Eyewit nesses told today how "men be came beasts" when fire set off a wild trampling panic at a church supper. At least 10 per sons died in the flaming melee. - Police reported at least 227 injured. Of these, 14 were still hospitalized today end one, . a man whose name was not given, was reported in critical condi tion. Authorities checked nu merous reports of missing per spns but said they were reason ably satisfied that all those who were in the building had been accounted for. 4 The flash fire broke out about 5 p.m. yesterday in the quonset-roofed community hall of suburban Brooklyn, Md., as 1100 men, women and children were attending a festive oyster roast sponsored by the Catholic church of St. Rose of Lima. '- Crowd Terrified ; Lawrence O'Brien, chairman of the arrangement committee for the ill-fated, dinner, told of the horrible stampede for safety' thaf ensued. "Men became beasts. I saw men beating women to get to a door or window. Men and wom en shrieked and screamed and cried." O'Brien leaped to a table and yelled to the terrified crowd to keep calm, but his voice was drowned out in the frenzied bab ble of the crowd. The Rev. Francis Wills, assist ant rector of St. Rose of Lima also made a futile effort to calm the crowd. But the terror that stalked the hall would not be stayed. Many were" trampled in the crush for exits. Others jump ed, were pushed or were thrown through windows as flames sud denly enveloped the roof. '; Rescue workers at the scene told reporters early this morn ing that 12 bodies had been found, but Sgt. Thomas Smith of the state police said later that an official recount showed 10 bodies in the building. - I "Trip . 1 ft HnHipc wurfl frtn1. .in the r building near the 12-foot wide door. The crowd apparent ly rushed for the main door, ig noring to a large extent six smaller exits in the building. The dead were burned beyond recognition in- what one witness called a "terrible nightmare." "I'm still not exactly sure how it happened," said Father Wills. "But it was the most terrible thing I have ever seen. "I calmed as many people as I could and helped them to safe ty. I don't know how many I talked to before I got out my self. "I prayed for the dead and their loved ones and for the in jured." Working under the glare of searchlights, police and firemen probed and sifted the debris for other . possible bodies. Ankle deep water hampered the search among the blackened timbers. Two small wings off the main rectangular hall were carefully searched as possible other fire traps. Date Changed for Local Talk by Mrs. Roosevelt The Medford talk by Mrs. Franklin D. Roosevelt will be on April 23, instead of April 28, it was announced today. Mrs. Roosevelt wired friends here today to say that she would be unable to fill the April 28 date because of other committ ments, but that she could appear here on the 23rd. The sixth an nual Roosevelt memorial dinner will be changed to that date to permit her to be here, spon sors of the event said. port to Congress on the gigantic project for which taxpayers have put up $14,400,000,000 since its birth in World War II. The AEC said output , is up all along the line from ore to finished weap ons. Civilian and military power projects are booming. . Speeding Stockpile With new H-bombs scheduled for this spring in the Pacific, the AEC said it is speeding the stockpiling of weapons made possible by previous tests. It said last spring's tests in Nevada "opened several new and promising avenues for weapons research and development" which are being followed up "on an expedited basis." The AEC did not identify the new weapon types which it said will "strengthen materially the defenses" of the free world. But they are believed to include atomic warheads of anti-aircraft and other special purpose guided missiles.