Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989, July 30, 1956, Image 1

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Medford mail tribune., July 30, 1956, Image 1

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Newspaper Page TextiHi .ridenf CiSIs n Q OP 9 UNTIL NEXT YEAR House page boys in Washington, D. C. show how they feel about the whole thing as they throw papers into the air as the 84th Con gress adjourned sine die. The next session will convene Jan. 7, 1957. Britain Halts Arms Shipment To Egypt After Canal Seized London iU Rj Britain halt rrt all arms hipim-iit! to Eypt today and demanded that the Suez Canal be put under inter national control so no single "unfettered'' nation could block its lifeline. Trinie Minister Anthony L'den announced an immediate em bargo on British arms shipments to Cairo while Bis Three diplo mats still were hammering out an answer to Egypt's seizure of the canal last Thursday. Informed sources said the top Irvcl talks had the twin objec tives of immediate steps to en force tree passage through the canal and longer-range measures to internationalize it. I Military Force Urged I Britain and France were re- i ported pressing the United Slates ' to agree to the use of military i force if necessary, but informed sources said no firm decision 1 had yet been readied. ! Britisli Foreign Minister Sel- j wyu Lloyd. French Foreign Min-. ister Christian Pmeau. and U.S. j Deputy Undersecretary of State Robert Murphy met Sunday in j the first of a series of emergency ! talks on the canal. I They agreed that the situa tion was sravc and said the canal must remain open. But they turned over to a subcommittee of experts the task of drawing up any three-power "battle plan." Besides 1 ho military and nav al talks, other subcommittees worked on economic policy to Two Teenagers Fined For Taking Hubcaps Two Portland teenagers wer fined $73 apiece by United States Commissioner Frank J. Van Dyke Sunday for stealing hubcaps in the parking area at Crater Lake National V; rk. The boys were Donn Wane Everton. 18. and a 16-year-old, both of Portland. Van Dyke said they were ap prehended by park rangers in the act of stealing a hubcap off a car in the lodge parking lot at the lake. A hearing for them was held Sunday with Van Dyke pre siding at the park offices. Defense Request Rejected in McKeon Court Martial Tarns I.-land. S C. U s: A defense request to drop the major charges against S Sgt. Matthew C. McKeon was denied today by the law officer of his court martial. McKeon's defense lawxer had petitioned for dismissal of charges of manslaughter, oppres sion of troops and drinking in the presence of a recruit, leav ing only one charge remaining against the 31-year-old drill in structor who led his platoon on a "death march.'' But the law officer. Navy Capt. Irving N Klein, denied the three motions at the opening of the defense case in the tenth day of the court martial trial. To Testify Himself McKeon. who led a platoon of raw recruits into a tidal creek last April 3 to "teach them discipline" was ready to take the stand as his own star wit ness. He may testify Tuesday about the march in which six men were drowned. Arguing th" three motion-, chief defeuic coiiiiel Err.ile Zela ward Egypt, possible appeals to the United Nations and the World Court and technical de iaiis of canal shipping. Officials refused to disclose the identity of the members of the individual groups, but Brit ons attached significance to the fact Murphy was accompanied here by Adm. Walter Boone, commander of the U. S. East ern Atlantic and Mediterranean fl-et. Implied Warning Given Boone's Mediterranean force, the U. S. fith Fleet, is the larg est striking force in the vicinity of the Middle East trouble areas. Secretary of State John Fos ter Dulles already has given an j implied w.irnins lo Egyptian! President Gamal Abdel Nasser I with tile movement of ships through tlie canal. "This would be a matter of , deep concern to the United States as one of the maritime nations." he said Sundav. County Crews Prepare For Dead Indian Work Jackson county road crews have moved rock crushing equip ment from Mule Hill on the Applcgatc to Dead Indian rd.. and are preparing rock for pav-1 ing work in that area. Paul Rynninc. county engineer, re-; ported today. i The rock crusiier may be re- j turned to the Applegate area j this fall. Rynnmg added. Paving crews have finished work on Evans Creek rd., near Wimer and have moved to Sav age Creek rd. Central Heating company is also paving 2'2 miles of Table Rock rd. from Merriman rd. to Four Corners. Rynning reported. The project is expected to be finished Wed nesday. Construction will begin soon on the new bridges at Willow creek. K a n e s creek. Snider creek and Dry creek. The coun ty court recently awarded the contract for the work to R and M Construction company of Cen tral Point. The new bridges are scheduled to be finished by March. R and M Construction company is also building the McKee bridge on the Applegate. ; Berman said McKeon could not j have been culpably negligent ! as the manslaughter charge ac- cuses him of being because he did not show gross and wanton 'disregard of his men's welfare. Berman said tile fact that he led ; them eliminated culpability, j He added that the troops ! never felt they were being op- pressed and that the charge of j drinking in the presence of a j recruit had not been sufficiently proved. Some Were Slapped : Arguing against the motion. .Marine Maj. Charles B. Seivier. the trial counsel, pointed out that there had been testimony that McKeon slapped three re cruits. He said he wondered if the six men who drowned on the march thought they were being oppressed ' as they went down." He said some of them were "non-swimmers." that some were over their heads in the water, that they- sank in the clinging mud. and that McKeon had marched them into the cerk over terrain unfamiliar to him. Governor Schedules Visii lo Medford, Ashland This Week Governor and Mrs. Elmo Smith will arrive in Medford tomorrow afternoon for a two day visit in southern Oregon. Activities planned for the gov ernor start with a dinner at 6:30 p.m. where he will meet Repub lican leaders of this area and the executive committee of the county central committee. The governor will appear on a tele vision program over KBES-TV at 9:30 p.m. Wednesday morning, two sep arate breakfasts arc scheduled for the couple. Governor Smith will attend a no-host breakfast al the Top Notch reslaurant. 127 South Fir St. from about 7:30 to 9:30 a.m. Anyone u isiiing lo is invited to "drop in" during the breakfast. Nil?. Sini'li will be the guest al a breakfast beginning al 8:30 a.m. al ihe home of Mrs. Carl Wimbcrly, 30 South Barneburg ave. The county Republican Women's organization is sponsor ing the affair. In the afternoon, the govern ment and his wife will be es corted on a trip to Ashland by Lloyd Selby. chairman of the Smith campaign in Ashland. They will visit several groups and places of business there. The couple will be guests of honor Wednesday night at the opening night banquet and play of the Oregon Shakespearean festival at Ashland. Work on Projects Starts in City Today Work was started on one san itary sewer and two excavation projects in Medford districts this morning, according to Vern Thorpe, public works director. Central Heating company of Eugene starled installation of a sanitary sewer in the Capitol Hill area between Valley View ave.. Sunrise ave. and Capitol ave. Austin King Construction company of Medford began ex cavation work on Melrose ave. from Grape st. to the railroad tracks. The company also started excavation work on South Fir st. from Melrose ave. to Monroe ave. Southern Pacific lias announc ed it will construct a spur track at the 11th st. railroad crossing, according to Thorpe. The street will he closed Tuesday. Wednes day and Thursday, he said. Britain Counts 12 Killed in Storm London . J P Britain counted at least 12 persons dead today in one of the worst storms to hit the English Channel this century. The sudden gale struck t h e channel Sunday, catching hun dreds of "Sunday sailors" in small pleasure boats by surprise, along with more experienced crews of commercial vessels. Several yachts and a large sail ing ship capsized and sank. A British steamer also heeled over, tossing its crew into the raging waters. Winds of 30 miles an hour whipped up mountainous waves and battered the English coat, toppling trees and power lines. Six of the known dead were drowned at sea. Five others were motorists whose cars were crush ed by tailing trees. A shipyard worker was blown off q vessel in clrydock and fell to his death. Medf' I v I United Pre s Full I y 51st Year Shifting Winds Could Endanger Oil Field Tanks Firemen Battling Propane Fire Killed Dumas. Tex. U P One tank of asphalt blazed brightly today but firemen and calm winds had subdued the main oil refinery fire that exploded a huge tank of pentanc and killed ID men in a fiery holocaust. The white hot explosion yes terday injured 31 other persons, including an 11-ycar-old boy. Should the wind spring up suddenly from the north again, the flaming asphalt tank would endanger a 575,000.000 oil field of gasoline and oil tanks. The Weather Bureau said the wind would remain calm. But residents in this Texas Panhandle town of 10,000 are not concerned about the mone tary loss. They are heartsick be cause 10 firemen and nine oil field workers burned to death from the flaming fuel's intense heat. The oil workers and firemen, who were volunteers, were fight ing a fire Sunday in the vent of a 15.000 barrel tank of pentanc at the Shamrock Oil and Gas com pany's McGee Refinery 12 miles northeast of Dumas. 15 Die Instantly Unknown to the fire fighters, who were trying to "fog out" the blaze with foamite from about 200 yards away, liquid pentanc iiad been leaking out of the huge tank. Pentanc is a light liquid similar to butane. A liquid un der pressure, it becomes a gas immediately on contact with air. Lias-saturated air suddenly ex ploded with a dull boom and a great flash of light, heard and seen for miles around. The vic tims were caught in their tracks. Fifteen were killed almost in stantly and four others died later. Bodies were frozen in dis torted poslitions. arms flung over their laces in a last desper ate attempt to shield them from the intense heat. The knees of some uer drawn up in agony. Many wre charred be ond recog nition. Injured Nol Critical The injured were taken to the Moore County hospital where they filled all the rooms. Cots were put up in the halls. The charred bodies of the dead were placed in the National Guard Ar mory and Guards were placed around tiie area to keep the cur ious away. Hospital attendants said today all 31 injured had been taken off the critical list. One of the injured was a boy, George Ochs, 11. He was in the area watching his father, volun teer fireman Herman Ochs. Six of the volunteer firemen killed were from the Dumas Fir De partment, and four were from the Sunray Department. Both the Sunray fire chief. Ray Biles, 40, and the Dumas fire marshal, Pascal Pool, 31. died. The other dead were Sham rock Oil company employees ex cept for one man listed as a pipe line worker. The blast ignited three other storage tanks, one containing 80,000 barrels and the other two 10.000 barrels of oil. but by late Sunday night the only tank still miming was tlie pentanc tank. Flames flared 100 to 200 tcet into the air as firemen waited near by for it to burn out. Bids Asked for Work At Willow Creek Dam Bids for placing rock rip-rap on the Willow creek dam will be received by the Medford water commissioner at the office in the city hall until 10 a.m. Aua. 13, Robert L. Lee, superintendent, has announced. Rip-rap work will be reinforc ed on the dam at the full water line. Lee said. The reinforcement ! will add to the original two feet I of rip-rap on the dam, which ! has been damaged by wave ac- tion. he said. j The lake is about 4(1 miles ! northeast of Medford. The con tract will include quarrying about 2.700 cubic yards of rock from the city's site and hauling and placing the rock. Specifications may be obtain ed at the water commission office. "72k P7S3 O IL k ALA XT KD, OREGON, MONDAY, JULY 30, 1956 P33 'Go Ahead Don't Wait Thornton, Oregonian, Night Figure Named InS1000000 Lawsuit Portland OI.R) Multnomah County District Attorney Wil liam M. Langley filed action in U. S. district court here against Attorney General Robert Y Thornton, charging him with de privation of civil rights and naming James B. Elkins, Port land nightlife figure, and The Oregonian Publishing company co-defendants in a SI. 000. 000 suit. Complaint Followi Charge Langley's surprise move was made Sunday afternoon when the complaint was filed with a clerk of the federal courts. It came after a week of charges by Langley that Thornton had improperly conducted the Mult nomah county grand jury in vestigation of vice charges, and counter-charges by Thornton that Langley was trying to wreck the probe by "desperate, last-minute maneuvers." In filing his complaint Lang ley made use of federal civil rights statutes rarely if ever used in Oregon litigation, bring ing action for damages for de privation of civil rights secured by the U. S. constitution and laws of the United States. Langley is suing for S230.000 compensatory damages and S250.000 punitive damages on each of two counts. The first count alleges that Thornton, Elkins and The Ore gonian had conspired to deprive Langley of "equal protection of the laws" by using the grand jury to send letters to Langley demanding that he waive im munity and appear as a witness in the grand jury proceedings against himself. The count seis forth further that Thornton. Elkins and The Oregonian of fered unlawfully wire-tapped 'One Party' Administration By Holmes at I Roherf n Holmes, state sen ator from Astoria and Demo cratic candidate for governor, told a group of about 300 Sun day that the present governor and Republican "one party'' ad ministration are to blame for the "tragic educational crisis now facing this state." Holmes spoke at the annual Jackson county Democratic pic nic at TouVelle state park. Charles O. Porter. Eugene attor ney and Democratic nominee for congress from the fourth dis trict, also spoke. Pointing out that Oregon has had Republican governors and Republican legislatures for 22 years. Holmes attacked what he called the growth of "a kind of Monarchial system'' in to which the Republican rule has steered the state government. "The present governor," Holmes said, "promised in a campaign speech to see that the recently passed sur tax law is rFrea!d. Vet. in the lfl.i.i ses- 1 sion, neither the governor 5r STRIBUNE KLLS Around For Any Medals' evidence against Langley and published this unlawful evi dence with intent to obtain an indictment of Langley for at tempted gambling. Said Deprived of Rights In the second count. I.anglcv alleged that he had been de prived of his federal rights fur a fair hearing before the grano jury and that Thornton offered "testimony known to be per jured" to the grand jury. The district attorney further charged that the defendants unlawfully intercepted telephone messages and unlawfully divulged these messages in the public press. Langley said the defendants, who were to be served notice of the suit by the U. S. marshal to day, would have 20 days to file an answer. Thornton, advised of Lang ley's federal suit, said he had "no comment." Pear Crop Progressing Well; Harvest Nears Rogue valley pear harvest is still scheduled to begin on Au gust 9, C. B. Cordy, county agent for horticulture, reported today. Cordy said the crop is pro gressing well and recent hot weather has had no detrimental effect on pears. 1955 Miss America Not To Wed DiMaggio New York IU.R) Lee Ann Meriwether, Miss America of 1955, denied today a columnist's report that she planned to marry Joe DiMaggio. former New Y'ork Yankees' baseball star and di vorced husband of actress Mar ilvn Monroe. County Democratic Picnic his party would settle for any thing less." Holmes also charged the pres ent governor said he would give some of the surplus to education, jet let his party starve higher education in the 1955 session and refused to face up to the needs of Oregon's schools. The Democratic candidate, operator of a radio station in As toria, made three basic promises. He said if elected he would get the surtax off the books, initiate a thorough study of Oregon's tax needs and resources and be ag gressive about Oregon's natural resources while exerting leader ship to stop the "giveaway" at the state level. Porter, in his address to the group, called on his opponent. Harris Ellsworth, to .ioin him in a request to the secretary of in terior for a fifth assay of the 15 disputed Al Serena claims in the Rogue River National Forest. He said three unimpeachable and mutually consistent assays "proved these claims are pho- ney." United Press Full Leated Wire Price 5c No. Ill Stassen Confers With President; Nothing Revealed Stassen Said Not Dissuaded in Advance Gettysburg iU.R Presi dent Eisenhower today grant ed Harold E. Stassen a four week leave of absence lo pursue "certain political ac tivities." Washington (U.R Harold E. Stassen conferred with .Presi dent Eisenhower today for the first time since Stassen launched his campaign to block the re nomination of Vice President Richard M. Nixon. Stassen. White House disarma ment adviser, flew to the Presi dent's farm at Gettysburg, Pa., for the meeting. It was sched uled at Stassen's request. Stassen said yesterday that Mr. Eisenhower did not try to dissuade him in advance from urging Republicans to nominate Massachusetts Gov. Christian A. Herter rather than Nixon for the number two spot. Silent on Discussion Stassen flew back to Washing ton immediately after his meet ing with the President. Stassen refused to tell reporters any thing more about the conference or what was discussed. Meanwhile, the Democratic vice presidential race was en livened by the announcement of Sen. Hubert H. Humphrey of Minnesota that he is a candidate for second place on his party's national ticket. Humphrey said he is "willing" to have his friends "work ac tively" for his nomination. But he emphasized "there must be no campaign against any other aspirant." Stassen informed Mr. Eisen hower in advance before an nouncing his drive last week to get the party to nominate Herter rather than Nixon. He declined to say how Mr. Eisenhower re ceived this news, but added: Might Not Have Acted If the President had said, 'T don't think I'd make that an nouncement," then "I (Stassen) don't think I'd have made it." Stassen said he thinks Mr. Eisenhower is still undecided about the vice presidency, wants an "open convention" and will wait until all the "facts are in" before making up his mind. Weather FORKCAST: Fair throuRh Tues day with little temperature change. Low tonight 33. High Tuesday 9U. Temp. Hi chest yesterday Lowest this morning 51 Our Skies Tonight The sun rises 5:01a.m. The sun sets 7:34 p.m. The unseen stars in its back ground are now those of Cancer. The moon, at last quarter 1 1 :31 a.m. Moon rises 11:13 p.m. PROMINENT CONSTELLATION Sagittarius, in the south 10:11 p.m. has about 50 stars that can he seen on a clear moonless night. Attacked "The fourth, much different from the first three and made under highly suspicious circum stances, was never checked," he stated. Master of ceremonies at the picnic was Thomas Reeder, Med ford attorney and Democratic nominee for district attorney. Reeder and Mrs. George Brown were co-chairmen of the event. Clyde Fichtner. president of the Jackson County Democratic club, was program and game chairman and Judge Frank De Souza was crowned "King for a Day" in honor of his past serv ices to the party. Candidates introduced were Attorneys Robert B. Duncan and Robert Boyer, Democratic nomi nees for the legislature; Karl Janouch, nominee for re-election as county treasurer; Ray Schu macher, nominee for county as sessor; Ralph O. James, nominee for county commissioner; and L. Peers Wilmeth, candidate for the non-partisan office of justice of the peace in the Ashland district. NY Girl 16, Dies As Chain of Youths Falls in Crevasse Slip Sends Group Sprawling on Glacier Portland (U.R) A human chain of 19 young persons tum bled into a deep crevasse high on the slopes of Mt. Hood yes terday, killing one and injuring 18 in the worst climbing dis aster of Oregon's tallest peak. Killed was Lynn Kaufman, 16, Larchmont, N.Y. Two other teen age girls were reported in criti cal condition and manv others suffered broken bones. Hurt critically were Suzanne Blum, Baldwin, N.Y. and Susan Stein, Baltimore, Md. Giant Rescue Operation A giant nighttime rescue oper ation followed the tragedy which occurred as the group was de scending the 11,225 foot moun tain. The victims had to be removed from the bottom of a 40-foot crevasse where they had fallen, apparently after a slip by one of the group sent them sprawling on a glacier near the 10.500-foot level. The climbers included 18 members of the American Hostel Association and were led by Carl Schnoor of Portland, Ore., a Lewis and Clark college stu dent. They were bound together by a single 120-foot rope. Sixteen of the injured were brought to a Portland hospital, about 50 miles from the scene of the accident, while two were treated for shock at Timberline Lodge. Supplies Rushed to Scene Medical personnel worked over the critically hurt as they were hauled above the lip of the crevasse, high on the moun tainside. Tons of supplies were rushed up the mountain to the scene. Planes dropped blood plasma and medical supplies at the scene last night in response to frantic pleas from rescuers. Four doctors gave the survivors emer gency treatment. First word of the accident came from a 15-year-old youth wljo witnessed the tragedy late Sunday afternoon. Dennis Glasgow, of Salem, Ore., and two companions were climbing nearby when they piv the party of 19, tied together about three feet apart, start their descent of the treacherous gla cier. Tried To Grab Snow Glasgow said the party started to slide into a snow field, the rear of the human chain whip lashing to the front. They tried to grab the snow as they plunged for more than 2.000 feet over the glacier. Two members of the chain dropped over the side of the 40 foot crevasse pulling their companions with them. "We could hear them scream ing and yelling . . . When we got there and looked over the lip, we could see them all spread over the bottom of the crater," the boy said. Tom Pfau of Brooks, Ore., leader of another party of six climbers, said he tried to cut the youngsters free with his jackknife. "One girl died as I eut her free," he said. A youth pleaded with Pfau not to move him. "Please do;i't move me," the youth cried. "My back's broken." The report of the tragedy touched off a tremendous rescue operation. Sun-cols and other ve hicles worked to help bring the injured down the mountainside Sunday night and early today. List of dead and injured in the mountain climbing accident follows: nrad: Lynn Kaufman, Larchmont, N. V. Injured: Suzanna Blum. B.tldwin. N.Y., fractured spinp. condition crit ical: Su.san Stem. Baltimore. Md., frac tured ikull, condition critical: Rovd Weintraube. ChicaCO. fractured nts and fractured left scapula. Robert A. Brawer. Fair Lawn. N. J.. iracturrd left ankle. Dresel O. Shaw. Exeter. N. H.. fractured nrht leg. poMhle fracture, left arm. Robert H. Silin, N. Y., lacerations on left leg Lawrence Dean MeCormick. Painfcville. Ohio, possible back injurv. John Schloss. Cedar Hurst. Long island. X. Y-, leg injury. Sidny H. Rosenberg, Plains field. N'. J.. lee fracture. Meredith S. Stebbins. Wayland. Ma.v.. compound jaw fracture, head lacerations. Clair E. Mitchell. Reso Park. N. Y., possible fracture both ankles. Judith Hart. Queens Village, N. Y.. fractured ankle. Patricia Gaff ney. New York. N. Y.. shock and lacer ations. Barbara Platto. Brooklyn. N. Y., fracturei of both lees and an elbow injury. Carl Schnoor. Portland. Ore., fractured left wrist, possible spine in juries. Roland G Heinnch. Clear Lake. Iowa. Iractured left shoulder, niuiliple lacerations. Bunny Rockland. New York. N. Y.. shock. Louise L. Kufhck, Forest Hills. N. Y., shock. Need Emphasized for Blood Replacement Here Red Cross officials today em phasized the need for more blood to replace that used for victims of recent car accidents in this area. The Bloodmobile will be in Medford Aug. 8 between 1 and 5 p.m. at the Elks temple. Ap pointments for blood donations will be received starting Wednesday. Appointments may b mada by phonics 3-3313.