Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989, June 24, 1959, Image 1

Historic Oregon Newspapers

Medford mail tribune., June 24, 1959, Image 1

Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR

About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (June 24, 1959)

Page of 16 Next Prev Issue Next Text PDF JP2 (4.9 MB) Clip/Print Image

Return to Top

Page of 16 Next Prev Issue Next

Newspaper Page Textr 9-' - p It ft mtit mm m Price 10 Medford 16 Pages afo Robbed of At BottUng:GoHPaiy Patrolman Finds Office Door Open On Routine Check Money Was in Five Sacks, Police Said A total of $1,162.42 in bills, coins, and checks was stolen from a wall safe at the Coca Cola Bottling company, 600 North Grape st., last night, according to city police. The safe was burglarized sometime between 9 p.m. and 3:05 a.m. when Patrolman Garnet A. Stoltenburg discov ered the office door open on a routine patrol. Police described the bur glary as "very neat." The money was reported to be in five money sacks of the First National Bank of Ore gon. The denomination of the bills, which accounted for ap proximately one half of the amount stolen, is not known, The remainder was divided between coins and checks, police said. Building Entered ' The building was . entered by either an unlocked rear office door or through a win dow, ' reports showed. The building is enclosed by a 6 foot woven wire fence topped by a two-foot angular barbed wire fence. , Police said that nothing else in the office was dis turbed and no .tools were left at the scene. The burglars left the office by the front door. Patrolman Stoltenburg dis covered the unlocked front door during a security check of the building and noticed that the safe dial was missing. After the safe was '"punched" police said that all loose parts had been dropped in the of- fice out of sight from the front door. Three Appear in Circuit Court Circuit Court Judge Edward C. Kelly ordered a pre-sen tence report yesterday on Da vid Dester Staniforth, 19, of 560 Clover lane, Medford, who Is charged with grand larceny. Yesterday afternoon Stani forth withdraw his plea of in nocent and entered a plea of guilty to charges of taking, a car in February in Medford. Rommy Ray Laurence, 23, of 2115 East Jackson st., re ceivg a three-year suspended sentence on charges of grand larceny. He was charged with taking a car. from a local company, July 25. Claron William Henderson, 22, of 113 East 11th st., plead ed guilty before Circuit Judge James E. Mam yesterday aft ernoon to charges of burglary not in a dwelling and was sen tence to the Oregon state penitentiaryfor a maximum term of three years. Henderson was charged with breaking into the Tom Thumb Marker on Table Rock rd. at Four Corners March 25. Salem -(UPD- M. L. Schmidt, Tillamook, has been appoint ed to the State Real Estate Board. City Police to Distribute Literature to Tourists The Medford police depart ment has agreed to cooperate with the Jackson County Chamber of Commerce to dis tribute literature of the Rogue valley to visitors who ask city policemen about vacation possibilities in this area. Visitors' information signs will be installed on the po lice department's two meter checking vehicles, and patrol men will carry a small supply -oi literature including histori cal, factual, points of interest, and Shakespearean Festival folders. Also included will be Oregon state maps. Don McNeil, manager of the chamber, who last niht ex plained the purpose of the lit erature to police officers, said Cents MEDFORD, OREGON, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 24, 1959 r " " ' ' ' ' ' ' '" NEAR MISS-Excavation blasting for Rogue Valley Manor atop Barneburg hill has aroused property owners in the area and brbughi complaints of cracked masonry, rolling boulders and flying rocks. Here Mrs. Ethel M. Gomer, 2456 Nieto way, holds a rock she said missed her by 15 feet last Saturday as she worked in her garden about Medford city officials state M. Drake Construction company, contractor for the work, have said they would, cooperate in cutting down on blast charges.,.,' ; Applegate Recreation Discussed Validly of the- mining claim of Earl Gebhart on 40 acres along the . Applegate river will be checked as the first step toward Jackson county acquiring the land for a park and recreation site, it was decided this morning. The Jackson county court directed Gerald Scannell, deputy district attorney, to check the validity of the claim with the land office of the bureau of land management in Portland. If valid, the claim could be purchased from Geb hart, who is now in Wyoming, for $3,000. Arrangements then could be made with the land office, to withdraw the 40 acres for recreational use. Carroll Brown, supervisor of Rogue River National for est, . said that since the land comes under the jurisdiction of his office, a permit could be issued the county to de velop the site. The land was recently transferred from BLM jurisdiction to the U. S. forest service as one of v a series of land exchanges. Dur ing a meeting in the county court office this morning it was decided that it could be determined later whether the county or the forest service should develop the proposed recreation site. Money in Escrow The county court discussed the possibility of putting the $3,000 in escrow pending com- the literature would not be distributed on a wholesale basis. 1 Visitors Inquire It will be used when a vis itor inquires about activities and vacation possibilities in the area and who expects to spend a few days in the Rogue valley. McNeil said that instead of having police officers attend several night sessions to ob tain a thorough knowledge of vacation prospects in the area, the chamber deemed it more feasible that the officer know where the desired informa tion may be obtained in the literature available. McNeil noted that visitors often approach police officers seeking such information . $1J a block from the Manor site. that representatives of.Donald ;?!;; vsiic:;;- j;;r'"v" River Sites Today pletion of . legal steps in ac quiring the property. Brown said that the forest service is short of money this year to develop recreation sites and would prefer that the county develop this site if possible.. If the forest serv ice developed, the site he said, it would be similar to the one near the old McKee bridge with outdoor fireplaces, camp ing sites, picnic tables and benches and restrooms., More Recreation Sites Brown added that he feels that many more recreation sites should be developed in the Applegate area. His office is now negotiating with Ger ald Buck for purchase of a 40-acre site one mile above Mule creek on the upper Ap plegate. This site is divided by the river and is on both sides of the road. Buck is asking $10,000 for the prop erty, Brown added. The forest supervisor said Gebhart doesn't have, to work his claim. Under the "prudent man" 'provision the claim merely has to show enough ore color to warrant a prudent man to develop it. However, Clark J. Walker, Medford real estate man, acting for Geb hart, stated today that the claim has been worked each year either by Gebhart or by somebody representing him. Meeting with the county court this morning were Ed Strother, Shady Cove, county parks and recreation commis sion chairman; Brown, Ralph Wiese, staff officer, Rogue River National forest, and Scannell. Residents Reminded Of City Ordinance Residents were reminded to day by city police of the city ordinance which prohibits drinking beer in public. Tuesday police received a complaint that persons were drinking beer in the city park at Plum and Prune sts. Police discovered that several fam ilies and their friends were having a picnic with beer in cluded in the menu. The picnickers were re minded of the ordinance by police and no complaint was filed, report show. j 54th Year Tribune No. 82 Norway Police Question Party Host About Fire 7 Bodies Found; 17 Others Feared Dead Vossetrand, Norway -(UPD-Police questioned a Norwe gian today in belief a party in his Stalheim Hotel room may have caused a fire which de stroyed the building and killed possibly 24 persons, mostly Americans. Seven bodies were recov ered from the wreckage of the 50-year-old wooden tourist hotel 50 miles northeast of Bergen on Norway's Atlantic Coast and 17 persons were missing and feared dead. Hotel Crowded The four-story, 100-room hotel was crowded with 147 tourists, 130 of them Ameri cans, and its Norwegian staff when the fire flashed through the structure at 3 a.m. Tues day, trapping many persons in their rooms. Many persons were injured when they jumped from their upper floor rooms or fell while trying to escape down make shift ropes. About 35 persons were taken to the hospital at Voss, 20 miles away, but ten were released after treatment. Bones Broken in Leapt The victims, mostly be tween the ages of 60 and 70, suffered burns and broken bones in their escape. Police did not disclose the name of the Norwegian they were questioning but they said he gave a party in his first floor hotel room a few hours before the fire started and that a cigarette may have caused the' blaze. , ' . . Officials were reluctant to list the 17 missing I. hotel guests as dead even though there was no chance that any one would be found alive in the ruins. Fled Into Woods They said many of the guests fled into the woods sur rounding the hotel and there was a possibility that some of those unaccounted for may still turn up. A few persons wjere ' known to have been given aid by nearby Norwe gian families. Sixteen of the American survivors, some still dressed in pajamas with coats thrown over their shoulders, arrived Tuesday night in Oslo from Vossestrand in the fjord coun try. Young Republicans To Support Drive Young Republicans of Jack son county have pledged their support to the Republican fi nance campaign currently un- aer way. Don Stathos, chairman Of the county central committee, gave a progress report on ac complishments made so far in the fund drive and on the part taken by members of the Young Republican club at meeting this week. Alan Holmes is chairman of sustain ed pledges, Jim Ragland is in charge of the special gifts sec tion, and Joe Walsh is chair man of the financial institu tion section. - ' A family picnic is planned by the group for July 26, with Ragland and Stathos as co- chairmen. Mrs. i-aui H. sparso was elected treasurer of the group, succeeding Chuck Foley who resigned upon leaving Med ford. Ike Asks Foreign Aid Oh Long Term Basis Washington -(UPD- President Eisenhower asked Congress today to place U. S. foreign military aid on a long term basis and shift its control to the Defense Department to end "contentious" bickering. WEATHER FORECAST: Variable cloudiness tonight and Thursday. Low to night 54. High Thursday S3. Temp. Hiehest Yesterday ... 90 Lowest this Morning 57 Our Skies Tonight Sunset today . Sunrise tomorrow Moonrise tonight . . 7:53 p.m. . 4:35 a.m. .10:42 pjn. Ini 97 Last quarter At moonrise tonight the bright est star in the sky will be Vega, high in the east; and the brightest planet will be Jupiter, in the southwest. Jet Crash Mem Mums Burns, Ore.-(DPD-Five civilian employees of the Boeing Airplane company were killed yesterday in the flaming crash oi an ait j orce u-oz DomDer The victims were identfied Kirkland, Wash.; co-pilot Joseph Keller, 37, Bellevue, Wash.; navigator Harold G. Green, 37, Kent, Wash.; and technical engineers Neil Johnson, 28, and Charles H. McDaniel, 29, both of Seattle. . The huge jet-eight bomber day mornmg on one of a flights. It was scheduled to ground on a course toward station near here. The first report of the crash came from an unidentified ranch woman who notified the radar station and the Oregon state police. Investigating officers said the plane apparently crashed and then exploded, touching off a fire which burned about 200 acres of brush at the edge of Ochoco National. Forest. Crash Area Guarded A security guard of per sonnel from the radar station, state police and the Malheur county sheriffs office was posted around the crash area pending the arrival of investi gators from the Boeing com pany in Seattle. Boeing spokesmen said the last radio report from the plane was when it passed a check point at The Dalles. One report said the plane burst into , flame in flight. Leslie Heinz, a lineman, for the Harney County Electric i Cooperative, was quoted as saying the plane became "one big ball of fire" and then struck a small hill and ex ploded. Wreckage was scattered for a mile and a half, and a pilot who flew over the area said "there isn't a piece of the plane as big as a washtub." The shattered bodies of the occupants were scattered through, the timber and sev eral hours 'were required to recover them. First Luncheon in Series Scheduled ; Fifty civic leaders have been invited to a noon lunch eon meeting at the Rogue Val ley Country club tomorrow by Mayor John Snider, chairman of the citizens advisory com mittee to the Jackson County Chamber of Commerce "Keep Pace With Tomorrow" pro gram. The luncheon tomorrow is the first in a series of eight meetings to which 900 local leaders will be invited during the next two weeks, accord ing to General Chairman' Bob Taylor. ("They will be asked to at tend one-hour sessions to hear the plans that have been drawn up as a guide for the Medford area for orderly and progressive planning for the future," Taylor said. . , "These plans form the basis of the program to keep pace with tomorrow." June 27 Is Queen Candidate Deadline Jacksonville - June 27 is the deadline for groups to enter a contestant in the queen contest for the Jack sonville Gold Rush Jubilee, Dr. A. A. Griffin, chairman, reminded residents today. Any firm, civic club, fra ternal organization or, inter ested group may enter a con testant, he said. Girls in Jack son county between the ages of 15and 19 are eligible. More than $600 worth of prizes and awards are offered winners in the contest. Entries may be made by mail or telephone. Judging will be held as soon as pos sible following the closing date on entries, Dr. Griffin stated. Publishing Senate Payroll Approved Washington -(DPD The Sen ate Rules Committee today unanimously approved a reso lution to publish the entire senate payroll on a quarterly basis beginning this fall. The resolution will be sent to the Senate floor. H approved there it will become one of the rules of the Senate. Washington-(DPD-The Senate Finance Committee has voted to repeal the 10 per cent ex cise tax on personal travel. ' Washington-fDPD-The Small Business Administration will hold heatings In Portland Aug. 26-27 on its timber set aside program. 35 mues west ol Burns as Pilot Lewis H. More, 44, departed from Seattle yester series of low-level experimental fly at about 500 feet above the the 634th Air Squadron Radar Starkweathers Parents Seeking Another Reprieve Lincoln, Neb.-(OPD-Mass kill er Charles Starkweather stoi cally sat out what may be the last full day of his life today while his parents fought to win him a new reprieve from the electric chair. ' The 20-year-old ex-garbage man,, who killed 11 persons during a two-day rampage, was scheduled to be electro cuted in Nebraska state peni tentiary' sometime Thursday probably shortly after mid-night-unless he gets a dra matic new lease on life. Dad Seeks Attorney His father, Guy, who won a middle-of-the-night appeal for a stay, a month ago min utes before Starkweather's head and legs were to be shaved in preparation for electrocution, was expected to renew his battle today in Lan caster county district court. He was reported searching for an attorney to ask the court for a new stay and a writ alleging errors in Stark weather's trial. Court attaches said the el der Starkweather might make the plea personally if he were unable to line up a lawyer. To Keep on Fighting The confessed slayer's moth er, Mrs. Helen Starkweather, said, "we're going to , keep right on fighting. We're going to use all our rights." ' The Nebraska Supreme Court Tuesday set the execu tion for Thursday. The seven man court took the action within 20 minutes after Ne braska Attorney General C. S. Beck received notification that the U. S. Supreme Court had denied Starkweather a new hearing. . , Grants Pass Man Declared Suicide Grants Pass - (DPD - The body of Dennis Dunham, 24, of Grants Pass was found this morning about a mile from Powell creek in the Williams area, 20 miles southeast of Grants Pass. - Deputy Coroner Bill Hull said death was caused by a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Dunham was home on leave from Fort Lewis, Wash., where he was serving with the Army. He had been miss ing from the home of his par ents here since Saturday. Dunham received nation wide publicity in November, 1958, when he broke the world's endurance record in bowling with 387 games in 62 hours at a Medford bowl ing alley. . Increase Noted in' Polio Inoculations An increase in the number of people getting polio shots at the Jackson county public health office has been noticed reeently, according to Dr. A, Erin Merkel, county public health officer. He credited recent publicity in news media stating people are not obtaining the inoccu- lations. At the clinic yester day, 90 persons completed their series of three shots. Fifty-one persons received their first inoculation. The clinic also gave 34 .inoculations- for diphtheria whooping cough-tetanus, 18 small pox shots and gave 8 tuberculin tests. States-Rights Bill Approved by House Washington-UPD-The House today passed for the second year in a row a states-rights bill aimed at keeping federal statutes from overriding state laws in the same field. House approval was by a roll call vote of 225 to 192. No Significant Progress Toward Settlement Noted Herter Stands Firm On Western Rights Washington (DPD Secretary of State Christian A. Herter's firm stand on Western rights in Berlin left the next move squarely up to Russia today in negotiating for a settlement of the East-West crisis over Germany. Herter told the nation Tuesday night in a nationally televised report on the dead locked Geneva foreign minis ters meeting that "possible areas of agreement" exist. But he said the Soviets first must back down on their threats to force the West out of West Berlin. The secretary also declared there had been no progress to date at the foreign ministers level that would warrant a summit conference between President Eisenhower, Soviet Premier Nikita S. Khrushchev and other heads of govern ment. Talks Resume July 13 The foreign ministers of Britain, France, Russia and the United States will resume talks at Geneva July 13 fol lowing the current three-week cooling off" recess. Herter flatly said in his speech that, "I regret to say that no significant progress was made toward settlement of the problem of the con tinued division of Germany and of Berlin" in the first six weeks of the Geneva talks. Members of the Senate For eign Relations Committee agreed with Herter's assess ment. They also generally en dorsed the secretary's willing ness to enter into another round of talks with the Rus- sians. But Sen. Homer E. Cape- hart (R-Ind.) a committee member, said the time "has just about arrived' for us to refuse to have any more con ferences with ,the Russians. They don't get us anywhere and they provide the Russians with a vehicle for propa ganda." Throws Ball to Reds Senate Democratic Whip Mike Mansfield, also a com mittee member, said Herter "has in a straightforward and courageous manner thrown the ball back to the Soviet Union." Mansfield said it was up to Khrushchev in the next three weeks to come up with a counter proposal that recog nizes the West's legal right to be in Berlin and tends to bring "a degree of peace and stability to Germany and Cen tral Europe." , U.S. officials believe a hint of Communist intentions may come late next week when So viet First Deputy Premier Frol Koslov meets with Eisen hower and Herter here. They say the first break ip. the So viet ultimatum for a time limit on Western occupation rights in West Berlin may come at those meetings. Cross-Country Trip Koslov is coming to the United States to open a So viet exposition in New York June 30. He will make Wash ington the first stop on a trip across the country. Herter's speech was a ring ing demand that the Soviets begin "genuine negotiations." He said the "baneful influence of statements outside the con ference" by Khrushchev made attempts to negotiate at Gene va "practically fruitless." He referred to a . Moscow speech in which the Soviet pre mier repeated previous Soviet threats to abandon their re sponsibilties to the Western powers concerning Berlin. Idaho To Oppose Power To California Boise - (DPD - Idaho "will op pose a plan to carry electric power from the Bonneville project to California, State Reclamation Engineer George Carter said today. (British Strong For London - (DPD - The British government came out strongly again today for a summit con ference regardless of progress at the Geneva Foreign Minis ters' meeting, a stand opposed by the other western allies. Echoes Macmillan Views Foreign Secretary Selwyn Lloyd told the House of Com mons he hoped the recessed Geneva parley finally will lead to an East-West summit, thus echoing the views of Prime Minister Harold Mac millan Tuesday." "With regard to the summit! "Good Joke On You You Can't (aoxfe Me Down" Steel Industry Claimed Preparing Formula for Peace New York -(DPD- Efforts to negotiate a new steel wage contract moved toward a showdown today amid reports that the industry is preparing a new proposal in an effort to avert a nationwide strike at midjught June 30. Details of management's peace formula were unavail able. It was hinted, however, Accident Victims Still Hospitalized Frank B. Wheat, 42, of 801 North Central ave., Medford, was reported in serious condi tion at Sacred Heart hospital this morning, attendants said t '. He was injured when he fell three stories at the new Shake spearean Festival theater in Ashland Friday. . William Berry Thompson, 41, of 1800 East Main st., Ash land, was reported slightly im proved from yesterday but still on the critical list, accord ing to Ashland General hos pital attendants. Thompson was burned over 80 per cent of his body in a tractor accident on the Keene creek dam construction in the Talent project. , Budget Approved in Third Try by County Grants Pass The Jose phine county unit school dis trict budget ' was approved Monday by a majority of 174 votes after two previous at tempts failed. The vote was 1,061 for the budget and 887 against. The budget was identical to the one defeated by 60 votes at a school election May 25. Of the $1,412,399 budget, $830,199 will be raised through taxation, it was re ported. Creamery, Teamster Officials in Meeting Tillamook -(DPD- A meeting between B. O. Dixon, manager at the Tillamook creamery, and teamster officials was held today, the first time creamery and ( teamster offi cials had met since late in May. They met with a federal mediator. . "Teamsters have been on strike since May 1. The walk out idled 100 workers in the creamery association. Bone, Algeria-(DPD-Waves of French warplanes today bombed and machine-gunned a strong band of Moslem reb els locked in battle with hun dreds of French troops on the fringe of this east Algeria port. conference, I repeat what the Prime Minister said," Lloyd said in a report to Parliament on the recessed Geneva talks. "It is also my hope that our resumed conference will lead to a meeting of heads of gov ernment." Backed by Opposition Macmillan told Parliament Tuesday that" he hoped the Geneva sessions, due to re convene July 13, eventually would lead to a summit con ference despite the slow going to date. The government's stand was j that it would involve g small er rise in wages and JHng benefits than that accepted b the United Automobil TBorfr ers last fall. The auto contrd! provided package incHK& totaling about 10 cnt g& hour. Four-man negotiating tearr resumed bargaining today. David J. McDonald, presi dent of the United Steelwork ers Union, summoned the un ion's . 171-man International Wage Policy ' committee to New York for meetings Thurs day. It was believed the com mittee would remain on call here until a settlement or the strike deadline. Management sources indi cated the reported industry proposal might not be ready for submission before- Friday. Up to now, the industry has been standing pat on its con tention that the union should agree to a one-year extension of the present contract, with no wage increase or other im provements. Management took the posi- , tion that a pay raise would hike labor costs and stimulate inflation. Wildcat strikes meanwhile shut down steel mills in three cities. Twelve thousand work ers were idled by a strike at the Jones & Laughlin Steel Corp. plant in Pittsburgh. An other strike closed the United Engineering and Foundry Co. plant at Vandergrift, Pa., put ting 1,000 men out of work. A third strike closed the 98 inch hot-strip mill of Repub lic Steel Corp. at Cleveland. Some of the Pittsburgh work ers returned to their jobs late Tuesday. Tape Recording by Morse Scheduled Sen. Wayne Morse will speak at the' "honor Bob Dun can dinner" by tape record ing, it was announced today by Democrats in ' charge of the event. . Senator Morse , was origin ally scheduled to appear at the dinner Saturday, June 27, at the Rogue Valley Country club but is now unable to attend. The tape -will be brought to the dinner by Charles Brooks, executive assistant to Morse, who will attend the dinner. Other persons plan ning to attend include former Gov. Robert Holmes and Sen? ate President Walter Pearson. : A reception will be held at 6:30 p.m. with the dinner set for 7:30 p.m. Tickets and reservations may be made by contacting Jerry Scannell, SPring 3-3 572, or Pat Red mond, SPring 3-1371. Summit backed today by a statement from the opposition Labor party, which also called for an immediate summit confer ence in spite of the lack of progress at Geneva. Allies Less Optimistic However, Britain's French, American and West German allies have not been so opti mistic. They want progress t the foreign ministers' level first, and even then they crff not so keen about a top level meeting with Soviet Premi Nikita Khrushchev.