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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 26, 1958)
Shorts tew kmA Fmmm At Least 47 Lose Lives odd IKIolidcEiv Poires By United Preit International At least 47 persons lost their lives in Christmas holi day fires across the nation. Pennsylvania reported the greatest number of fire dead 10, including seven chil dren, ranging in age from a few months to 6 years. At Braddock, Fa., near Pittsburgh, three children died and four members of the family were injured when fire roared through their home early today. Grace Fletcher, 4, and a brother, Eddie, 6, suf focated. Jerry, 2 months burned to death in .his crib. Another blaze in a home at Wiikes-Barre, Pa., killed De borah Degnan, 3, and her brothers, Donald, 2, and Ed ward, 1. Paul Wingert, 3, dead In a home fire at St. Peters burg, Pa. Millionaire Dies At Richmond, Va., fire swept a $150,000 Georgian home in that city's fashionable Windsor Farms section, kill ing a millionaire businessman. his wife, and three of their four children. The victims were Horace A. Gray Jr., 54 owner of the Virginia Folding Box Co., his wife, Catherine, a daughter, Susan, 19, and two sons, Thomas, 17, and Foster, 13. An early morning fire claimed the lives of nine mem bers of the Ole Hollenbeck family today. The blaze level ed the large farm house five miles southeast of Auburn, Wash. The bodies were those of Mrs. Lavonne Hollenbeck, 38, and eight of her 11 children, the sheriffs office said. The dead children were Gail, 18; Donald, 17; Gary, 16; Sharon, 15; Patricia, 13; Mary-Allen, 8; Carl, 6, and Penny, 4. Hospitalized were Hollen beck, a daughter, Wanda, 7, and a grandmother, identified as Mrs. Hightower, 80. A son, Dale, 19, and daughter, , Gonya, were not in the house at the time of the fire. Hollenbeck operates a large turkey farm, located between Auburn and Black Diamond, 20 miles southeast of Seattle. Cause of the fire was not de termined. Flames believed to have started in an overstuffed chair swept an old frame house con verted into apartments at Northhampton, Mass., killing three persons and burning two other critically. Ten occu pants were saved when one of Rain Forecast for Week End in Area Southern Oregon residents will have ample opportunity to use umbrellas and rainwear this week end, but sleds, to boggans and skis may go un used, according to the weather bureau. ' . The five-day forecast calls for rain, "heavy at times" in western Oregon with amounts of 2 to 3 inches and more along the coast. Weather for skiers is some what hopeful with the freez ing level expected td drop to 4,500 feet this afternoon There will be some snow in the mountains, the weather bureau said. All roads are open and clear, state police report. Only road where chains should be carried is the Diamond lake rd east and west. The snow there is packed and sanded. All routes to California are open and normal, according to the California highway patrol Halsey Said in Fair Condition in Hospital : Wilmington, Del.-flJPD-Fleet Admiral William F. (Bull) Halsey Jr., 76, was reported in fair condition today with a heavy cold at Delaware hospi tal. Salem -(UPD-Chains are re quired for travel to Timber line lodge. Sub-Freezing Over North, By United Press International Sub -freezing temperatures over most of the north and north central United States were compensated for today by prospects of continued clear skies and little snow. Northern New England and the Eastern Seaboard as far south as West Virginia and parts of lower Michigan had sub-zero readings for the holi day week end. Southerly breezes, which them smelled smoke and roused the others. A medical examiner identified the dead as Mrs. Elizabeth Latham, 63, Roman Karza, 45, and Ed mund Kropiewski. Two persons died in fires in Michigan and one perished in Indiana. In New York, two airline hostesses, Janet Siegel, 22, Ar lington Heights, 111., and Nancy Curley, 23, Louisville, Ky., raced into a blazing apartment building Thursday night to rescue panic-stricken Mrs. Mary Stalker, 78. But flames prevented them from reaching Ann "Brennan, 45, who died in the fire. Pilots Request Mediation Board Clarify Proposal By United Press International Pilots striking against American Airlines today asked the National Mediation Board to clarify its proposal to end their week-old walkout. Board Chairman -Leverett Edwards said he would at tempt to answer the request of the Air Line Pilots Asso ciation later today. Edwards offered the "truce proposal Tuesday. It was promptly accepted by the president of American Air lines. The union took it under advisement.' About one-third of the na tion's air carrier fleet re mained grounded because of labor disputes. Strike Began Friday The pilots' strike against American began last Friday, shutting down the airline in advance of the Christmas holi day travel rush. A company SDokesman said if the nilots accepted the . truce, plan, American could not resume full operations much before Sunday, although some flights could begin immediately. Meanwhile, twin walkouts against Eastern Airlines en tered their 33rd day and ap peared destined to continue through the Christmas holi day. Engineers Deadlocked Striking mechanics voted to accept a new contract offered by Eastern, but negotiations with flight engineers, also on strike against the airlines, re mained deadlocked. George Brown, president of the Miami, Fla., local of the International Association of Machinists, said he doubted if machinists would cross the engineers' picket lines. Despite the strikes against the two major airlines, reports from across the nation showed that nearly all persons who wanted to fly obtained ac commodations, although some times a wait was necessary. Railway and bus stations reported business was heavy, although easing off after the pre-Christmas peak. Quemoy Island Shelling Halted Taipei, Formosa- (UPD -Com munist Chinese guns remained silent today after joining the Nationalists in observing a half-day Christmas cease fire Thursday. The Defense Ministry said no shelling was reported from the Quemoy Islands up to noon today. The Nationalists Quemoy garrison was ordered not to return fire Thursday in ob servance of the Christmas holiday. After firing 46 rounds of sporadic shelling Thursday morning, Communist loud speakers along the coast an nounced their guns would stop shelling at noon so the Nationalists could have a holiday. Temperatures Reported North-Central States brought Miami vacationers temperatures in the 70s' caused some rain along the Gulf Coast, in Southern Iowa and near the Great Lakes but most reports showed less than a tenth of an inch. The plains states celebrated Christmas under clear to part ly cloudy skies while scat tered snow flurries from Col orado to Montana, all under an inch, accompanied temper atures just above freezing. MED 16 Pages Diplomats See Gromyko Speech As Plea for Talks Compromise Seen Possible on Berlin Moscow-TOPD-Western diplo mats said today Foreign Min ister Andrei Gromyko's Christmas Day speech to the Supreme Soviet appeared to contain a new Russian plea for a round table conference of major powers. They noted that, while Gromyko's speech contained the usual attribution of sinis ter motives to the West and threats of universal destruc tion if the Berlin crisis touches off a world war, it also contained an expression of readiness to "hear and dis cuss any western ideas" for a Berlin settlement. While it appears for the time being at least that Russia is standing firm in its demand for an end to the four-power occupation of Berlin, western observers believed a compro mise might be possible if the western powers submit coun ter proposals rather than re ject the Red plan out of hand. Gromyko said also that Russia is ready at any time to sign an agreement with the United States and Britain to end nuclear weapons tests "without any reservations and preconditions." Truck Driver Is Cited Into Court James Howard Nunes, 26-year-old Christmas tree sales man whose truck ran over George -Washington Childs, 61, Monday night, is to be tried in municipal court next Wednesday on a traffic cita tion. Childs, of 16 Portland ave., was reported improved at Sacred Heart hospital today. He suffered severe chest in juries when the left rear wheel of the Army surplus weapons carrier truck ran over him, police said. Medford police cited Nunes 169 Glenwood rd., for failure to yield the right of way to a pedestrian in a crosswalk fol lowing statements obtained from Childs at the hospital Tuesday afternoon. He appeared in court Wed nesday and entered a plea of innocent. Bail was set at $15. Childs told police he had been walking westbound on East Main st., and was about halfway across Cottage st., in the crosswalk, when struck. Asked if he had seen the vehicle approachings, Childs reportedly replied: "Yes, com ing awful fast, didn't slacken his pace." Nunes told police after the accident that he had just left the retail tree dealer at East Main and Genessee sts., and was turning south off Main onto Cottage st. when the ac cident occurred. Five Prisoners Are Released on Holiday Medford police released five inmates from city jail to celebrate Christmas in free dom, but a sixth preferred to stay behind bars. Sentences were suspended for five men serving time for drunkenness in public or vag rancy offenses. The sixth, a woman, had also been sen tenced for drunkeness in pub lic. She told police she had no place to go and would have a better Christmas where she was. She received a steak dinner, and a Christmas stock ing from the Salvation Army. Along the Pacific Coast, Washington and Oregon re ported light rain and 40 - de gree temperatures extending as far south as upper Cali fornia. A storm approaching the Pacific Northwest was ex pected to bring more rainfall and possible snow in the high mountains. In the Southern Rockies and Southern California, there was clear weather for Christmas. 53rd Year FORD mwmj Hire IFeirlsBi Oregon By United Press International Oregon today counted three highway deaths since the long week end tally started , at 6 p.m. Christmas eve. The first three victims all were from California two of them chil dren. In addition, three other per sons died as a result of in- Communist China Said Harassed ByRevollers New York-(DPD-The Colum bia Broadcasting System re ported from Taipei today that Communist China is being harassed by anti-Communist revolters which are spreading from Tibet to Southwest China to the northwest up to the Outer Mongolian border. The report, from CBS cor respondent Eddie Tan, quoted a high Chinese Nationalist in telligence official as saymg the revolts began last April and got to such a stage that Peiping's Defense Minister Peng Te Huai had to hurry to the remote southwest prov ince of Singhai last October to direct military operations against the rebels. CBS pointed out that Peng's emergency trip coincided with the temporary cease fire the Reds proclaimed in the Que moy crisis Oct. 6. Widespread Discontent There also have been num erous previous reports of widespread discontent in Com munist China over establish ment of the commune system which imposes forced labor on the population and de stroys the iamily ties which have been traditional in China for generations. The Nationalist official, who was not identified, said the anti - Communist rebels are mostly nomadic Tibetans and Moslem tribesmen, CBS said. "On several occasions," CBS quoted him as saying, "the intensity of their upris ings surpassed the Hungarian revolt in 1956." .- Heavy Fighting Reported in Cuba Havana, Cuba (UPD Heavy fighting between government and rebel troops was reported today in the city of Caibarien on the north coast of Las Vil las Province in Central Cuba. Communications sources in Havana said an announcement by a rebel radio broadcast that the insurgents had cap tured the city were "prema ture." The source said the rebels overran a navy outpost of about 20 men in the seaport. But they said the main de fense of the city was in the hands of the army and the troops were holding off the attackers from fortified posi tions. The sources said there also was no indication that Santa Clara, capital city of Villas 32 miles southwest of Caibarien, was in any danger of falling to the insurgent followers of rebel chieftain Fidel Castro. Pork Production in State Up 19 Per Cent Portland-fllPD-The Agricul ture department's crop and livestock reporting service said today Oregon's 1958 pork production was estimated at 296,000 head, up 19 per cent from 1957. . . . Oregon's spring pig crop, es timated at 148,000, was up 8 per cent while fall pig produc tion totaled the same and was up 32 per cent from 1957. MEDFORD, OREGON, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 26, 1958 To OrasDn juries suffered late Wednes day afternoon. And a search continued near Tillamook for the bodies of two teenage boys feared drowned in a Wednesday boating mishap. The holiday count contin ues through midnight Sunday. Mother Injured Edward Thomas Lewis, 2, and Stephen Lewis, 2 months, were injured fatally and their mother, Arlene, was injured about 6:30 a.m. Christmas day in a car-truck crash about a quarter of a mile south of the Woodburn interchange on the Portland - Salem freeway. , Police said the children were thrown from the car. Edward was killed instantly and Stephen died two hours later in a Salem hospital. The Lewis family was en route from Los Angeles to Seattle where the husband and father, Edward, 24, had accepted a job. Pulling Trailer State police said the Lewis car was pulling a two-wheeled trailer was struck by a Con solidated Freightways truck and trailer driven by Larry Vandehey, Portland. The driv er told police the car and trail er jack - knifed and he tried to swerve to miss the auto but struck it broadside. The truck and trailer overturned. Lewis, an aunt and another boy were shaken up but not injured seriously. Mabel Alice Clark, 54, Stockton, Calif., was killed in a two-car collision eight miles south of Bend about 10 a.m. Wednesday. Her husband, Marion, and the driver of the other car, (John Huddleston, Crescent, Ore., were hospital ized. Charles Johnson, 82, Ash land, was killed when struck by a car in Ashland at 5:55 p.m. Wednesday. Yakima Man Killed Connie Claude Caudill, 61, was killed about 5:30 p.m. Wednesday when struck by a car after leaving a Greyhound bus at Durkee m eastern Ore gon. Walter Perrson, 60, Yakima Wash., died in a Portland hos pittal Wednesday night from iniuries suffered when struck by a bus about 4 p.m. Wednes day. Glenn Strait, 16, Ocenside, and Robert Astleford, 19, Net arts, were missing and pre sumed drowned after their is-foot boat was found over turned at the mouth of Whis key creek near Tillamook Wednesday. The searcn wr their bodies was carried on Thursday and resumed again today. Three Christmas Babies Born in Area Three Christmas day babies, all girls, were born in valley hospitals yesterday. The last to arrive was a o- pound daughter born to Mr. and Mrs. Robert Pearce, post office box 536, Rogue River, at 11:52 ajn. at Sacred near hospital. Two others reported inurs- day were born to rar. mu Mrs .Top H. Tosh. 1422 Dixie lane, at Rogue Valley hospital, and to Mr. and Mrs. Beydler, route 1, box 199, Tal ent, at Sacred Heart. WEATHER FORECAST: Mostly cloudy and showery tonight; bec0,n"f partly cloudy with scattered showers Saturday. Low tonight 35; high Saturday 45. Highest Yesterday 45 Lowest this Morning 40 Prec. to 10 a.m. today .Is Our Skies Tonight Sunset today 4:44 p.m. 7:40 a.m. Moonrise tonigm o:a v-- Last Quarter Jan. 2 PROMINENT STARS Rigel, in the southeast 8:26 p.m. Aldebaran. high above Bigel. VISIBLE PLANETS Mars, high in south west 10:13 P-m. Jupiter, in the south east , 6:12 .m. KifTRIBlINE Heading 'The Situation in China French DC6 Airliner Hurled To Ground By Strong Salisbury, Rhodesia - (UPD - A French DC6 airliner crashed after taking off into a tropical thunderstorm to day, apparently hurled to the ground; by strong winds. The U. A. T. Airline said three passengers," "all South Africans, were killed. Others of the 63 passengers and sev en crewmen wandered away from ' the crash scene, caus ing rescuers for a time to be lieve the casualty toll was higher. Plana Thrown Back The plane's captain told the Paris head office of the air line by telephone that he was given permission to take off despite the storm. He said that 30 seconds after takeoff, "a terrific whirlwind" threw the plane back to the ground He said the plane caught fire. The steward was burned as he helred passengers es cape. The plane was on a charter flight from Johannesburg to London. All the passengers were be lieved to be South Africans. U.A.T. said some were in jured in the crash, none seri ously. The crash was the third in $100,000 Damage Suit Filed Here A 'complaint seeking $100, 000, damages from Medford Ice and Storage Inc., Ralph and Virginia D. Cook, defend ants, was filed in circuit court Dec. 24. Jack Tuchten, Chicago, is seeking the amount, plus spe cial damages and costs, as the result of an accident Dec. 29, 1956, in Chicago which oc curred when he was unload ing a railroad car shipped by Medford Ice and Storage. The complaint charges the company with negligence loading the car with produce. Tuchten states that he was struck on the head while un loading produce from the car while in the employ of a Chi cago firm. Hugh B. Collins, Medford attorney, represents Tuchten. Gold Hill Hardware Store Burglarized - Rifles, shotguns and other items valued at approximately $2,000 were taken over the holiday by burglars who en tered Morrow's hardware, Gold Hill, the Jackson county sheriff's office reported today. The owner, Donald E. Mor row, told investigating depu ties that approximately $28 in cash was missing, along with the guns, electrical appliances and other items. Entry was made by forcing a rear door sometime between 10 ajn. Christmas day and 8 ajn. to day.. . . 1. . Price 10 for Etorial Looks Interesting " Winds Europe and Africa over the Christmas holidays. -All Escape Crash . An Air France Constella tion crashed in Vienna Christ mas Eve while coming in for a landing, but all 34 persons aboard escaped death. The same day, nine crew men and engineers died in Southern England when turbo-prop Britannia crashed on a test flight. Complaint Seeks $50,000 in Damages Leonard T. 'Rose, 823 West 10th st., Medford, has filed a complaint in circuit court asking $50,000 general damages and $5,173.49 special damages for injuries received in an automobile accident March 13, 1958. Defendants are three Talent men, Paul E. Overfield, Ed ward Lunsford, and Cletes F. Moore. According to the complaint, the three defendants were pushing an automobile north on Highway 99 when it swerved across the centerline and collided with a south bound vehicle operated by Rose. The .plaintiff charged the men were operating- the vehicle in a careless; reckless and negligent manner. The plaintiff, according to the complaint, suffered severe and permanent injuries to the neck, head, back and arms as a result of the accident. Attorney for Rose is Philip B. Lowry, Medford. Seattle Police Hunt for Slayer Seattle - (UPD - Robert L. Johnson, 46, Seattle, was shot to death outside a ' Beacon Hill tavern Thursday night and police were conducting a search for the slayer. Johnson died of at least two bullet wounds, coroner's deputies reported. A ricocheting bullet acci dentally wounded Mrs. Nettie Craben, 21, Portland, Ore., in the ankle. Johnson, a sheet metal worker, had been drinking beer in the place for about two hours before the shooting but had not been in any dis putes with other tavern pa trons, bartender Jerry Demet rious told police. . Atlas Satellite Silent on Christmas Washington -(UPD America's Atlas satellite was silent Christmas Day as it soared through space on a course that took it over the Holy Land. But the 4V ton satellite was expected to get back in the communications business again soon. Cents No. 238 291 Persons Die In Auto Crashes To 10 a.m. Today California Leads With 32 Victims By United Press International Holiday traffic deaths piled up at a record rate today and a safety expert told motorists to stop thinking celebration and start getting scared. Otherwise, he warned, the United States may be headed for an all-time holiday traffic death toll. 291 Fatalities At 10 a.m. (PST) a United Press International count showed 291 persons died in vehicle accidents since the holiday period started at 6 p.m. Wednesday. Fires killed 57 persons, one died in a plane crash, and 41 persons died in other accidents for a total of 390. California led among the states in number of holiday traffic deaths with 32. Texas had 28, New York 21, Penn sylvania 18, North Carolina and Ohio 15, Illinois 13, Massachusetts 12, Georgia and Michigan 10. The National Safety Coun cil at Chicago said the rate, judged by figures for past holidays, "shows no indica tions of hot being headed for a new all-time high for any holiday in the history of the country." . . .. - Too Much Carelessness ' The record for a four-day holiday period like the one embracing this Christmas is 712, set in 1956. .'The only way to reverse the trend," said the council spokesman, "is for drivers to get good and alarmed at what is going on, and stop this." Carelessness on the highway, he warned, was an "exceed ingly poor" way to mar the holiday period. The council had estimated that 620 persons would be killed on streets and highways during the holiday period be tween Christmas Eve and mid night Sunday. That would be 140 more deaths than the normal traffic toll of 480 dur ing a non-holiday period at this time of year. Firing Squads Said Active in Canton Hong Kong -(UPD- Travelers arriving from Communist China in recent weeks tell of almost, daily executions by firing squads in Canton, the capital of South Chinas Kwantung Province. The executions are held in the early morning and other prisoners held in Canton jails are marched in to witness them, these sources said. Some of the victims were tried and sentenced on charg es of being intelligence agents for the Chinese Nationalists. Others are being shot for dis rupting the "people's com mune program. Just how many executions have taken place is not known. But the travellers wh6 have been in Canton recently say they occur daily and as many as 20 are shot at a time. Ashland Man In California Sacramento, Calif. - (UPD - Mrs. Hda A Doughty, 29, Dun lap, Calif., was killed and her husband seriously injured Thursday night when a Grey hound bus skidded into a crowd of curious persons at an accident scene. Highway patrolmen . said the first accident occurred when Wayne Bercier, 20, Florin, Calif., stopped his car in the highway to make a left turn onto a suburban road. A car driven by William HalL 36, Ashland, Ore., struck the rear of Bercier's car, and vehicle driven by Ollie Doughty, the dead woman's husband, struck the rear of Preparation for Devaluation of Franc Apparent De Gaulle Cuts Short Christmas Vacation Paris-IUre-A surprise decree shut financial markets throughout France today in devaluation of the tottering franc. Newspapers here said Pre mier Charles de Gaulle will cut short his Christmas vaca tion in the country and re turn to Paris for special cabi net talks this afternoon. Official sources said the markets were shut down to "avoid any inopportune re action to the decisions which are being studied by the gov ernment." May Reopen Monday The markets, normally closed on Saturday and Sun days, will not reopen until Monday at earliest. The government apparently planned to use the time to work out its fiscal decisions without the risk of panicky speculation on the franc. Business quarters believed the decisions under study in cluded a 10 per cent devalua tion of the franc - from its present nominal value of .24 of a U. S. cent to around .21 -perhaps coupled with the creation of a new "heavy" franc worth 100 times as much as the present currency. The franc was down to .21 of a cent on the free market Wednesday. Some experts believed the French devaluation would be announced at the same time as Britain's expected decision to make the pound convert ible - that is, freely exchange able for dollars on world money markets. West Germany and other countries west of the Iron Curtain are expected to make their currency , convertible when the British do, produc ing a considerable effect on the European economic situa tion. Accident Victims In Fair Condition . Three persons who were In jured Wednesday afternoon in an automobile accident north of Rogue River were reported still in fair condition at Jose phine general hospital today. Hospitalized following the accident were Richard V. Tay lor, 20, of Grants Pass; Mrs. Rachel Amanda Fritz, 75, and Mrs. Venus Lyle Billeter, 57, both Fresno, Calif. Hospital officials reported that the two women were in fairly good" condition. A convertible, thought by state police to have been oper ated by Taylor and a sedan, operated by Mrs. Billeter, col lided on Highway 99 about 4:55 pjn. Dec. 24. Corvallis - (DPD - The condi tion of Lester (Doc) Needham, University of Wichita athletic trainer who suffered a stroke Dec. 6 is very grave, accord ing to his physician. Husband Forced To Exchange Wanted Christmas Present Racine, WisTJPD-Warren David got just what he wanted for Christmas. But he had to take it back, any how. He Jokingly told his wife be wanted a blonde doll for Christmas. She obligingly placed the order in a re quest container at a depart ment store. Christmas Eve, David's package a giant ribbon adorned ' box arrived. When be opened it, out stepped a blonde, 5 feet, 2 inches tall, measuring 38-24-36. Mrs. David insisted he ex change the "doll" for anoth er item. Involved Fatality Halls car. A car driven by Theodore Ammen, 46, Marys ville, Calif., hit the rear of Doughty's car. All the drivers and some of the passengers of the ve hicles climbed out to inspect damage and were standing near their cars when the' southbound bus approached. It was driven by Frank Poro Patt, 34, Sacramento. Attempted to Stop , Patrolmen said Poropatt. with about 20 passengers in the bus, attempted) stop but realized he could not do so m time to avoid the piled ud cars. He swerved to the right, striking Doughty and bis wife! i t
