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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 23, 1963)
0 P FRORfl Regional Edition 58th Year Price 10 Cents II SBI re m Fire, Explosions Shatter Cruiser 0(1 Gibralter About 100 Feared Dead in Disaster GIBRALTAR MlPIlRarfin Medford Tribune Sit ?Vy , v'??-&jRf!J St - it, . , 16 Pages MEDFORD, OREGON, MONDAY, DECEMBER 23, 1963 No. 237 Ws 5 IV. 'St' " vfi . , vtnr; . m v-y t wMritr m. i i i i mi Hill 3 3 -, - A'ftJtF- -"l FIREMAN DIES IN WAREHOUSE BLAZE Firemen are shown pouring water on a burning warehouse at Hammond, Ind., which was ripped by an explosion which killed at least one fireman and injured 15 other persons. Firemen were SHOPPING Dtf LEFT CHRISTMAS SEALS fight TB and Other RESPIRATORY DISEASES BBI Dixie Battered By Heavy By United Press International A Christmas week storm pum meled the Southland today with paralyzing snows up to 14 inch es deep and record cold. The storm ranging from the Southern plains to the Atlantic seaboard on the second day of winter brought parts of Dixie some of its worst winter weath er of the century. The snow, ice and cold were blamed for at least 45 deaths in Southern states. There were 27 weather - linked traffic fatalities, 13 deaths in cold belt fires, and 5 deaths fron miscella neous weather - related causes. Fourteen of the w e a t h e r fa talities were in Louisiana. The storm crippled traffic in such cities as Memphis, Nash ville and Knoxville in Tennes see and in Atlanta, Ga., and Jackson, Miss. Louisiana state Dolice cautioned motorists to stay off the highways until Christmas unless driving was absolutely necessary. Arkansas eight to 12 inches of snow closed highways and bridges and ranked as the heaviest in three years, The storm headed northeast and New York City girded for a five-inch snowfall. In the nation's North temperatures HEAVY GUNFIRE HEWSBRIEFS itims noM (jjfy NICOSIA, Cyprus (UPII Heavy automatic and rifle lire crackled again today In Nicosia, where at least lour persons lnce Saturday. There were no immediate reports of casualties since Saturday. There were no immediate rports of casualties In the latest gun battles. SEAMEN RESCUED PORT AUD BASQUES, Nfld. (UPI) Eighteen seamen from the storm-swamped French freighter Douala were rescued from two lifeboats Sunday alter surviving jo nours annu in me icy Atlantic. POPE EXPECTED TO STRESS PEACE VATICAN CITY (UPI) Pope Paul VI, directing his first Christmas message to the world today, was expected to stress peace and Christian unity as the dual goals of his historic pil grimage to the Holy Land next month. COMMUNISTS WELCOME WEST BERLINERS BERLIN (UPI) Communist guards politely welcomed West Berlin Christmas visitors through the wall today hut ap parently used their submachine guns on an East German refu gee to hilt hi (light West. 1 "nr ItTm mil ii' Violent Explosion Occurs During Fire HAMMOND, lnd. (UPI) An explosion described as "some thing like an atomic bomb" roared through a huge burning warehouse storing anti-freeze early today. One fireman was killed and 15 persons were in jured. . For a time it was feared sev eral firemen might have been caught in the flaming debris but all were accounted for. The firemen were pouring water on the Uliana Transit Warehouse when the pre-dawn explosion blasted - the' building Snowfall spiralled downwards to more than 20 degrees below zero. Heavy snow warnings were issued from eastern Tennessee and Kentucky northeastward across Pennsylvania, West Vir ginia, southern Ohio and Indi ana. Gusty Winds Hit Northwest Coast By United Press International A gusty storm packing gale force winds struck off the North yest coast today. Gale warnings were flying oft Oregon and whole gale warnings off Washington for south to southeast winds up to 48 knots from Astoria south and up to 58 knots to the north. The weather man said t h e winds would decrease tonight and become west to southwest 25 to 35 knots Tuesday. Rain, heavy at times, was forecast for Western Oregon. The mercury dipped below freezing at a few points in East ern Oregon and got down to 29 at Medford early today but tern I peratures generally were mild. AROUND THI OlOM HEARD IN NICOSIA FROM FREIGHTER pouring water on the warehouse when the explosion roared through the huge building. Windows were blown out of stores three blocks away. (UPI) and collapsed a section of it. The explosion was heard for miles. "The impact was something like an atomic bomb," police man George Magunary said. "It mushroomed out and was followed by a suction." Knocked To Ground One fireman was knocked about 20 feet. A newsman, Gene Langle of station WJOB said he was knocked to the ground, and when he came to his senses he ran to a police car and shouted in the radio, there s been a terrible explo sion here. Send all the help you can." The injured were taken to St. Margaret Hospital. All were firemen except one, Richard Wylie, a Chicago Sun-Times photographer. Aides said seven of them were treated. Most suf fered from smoke inhalation and cuts. The dead man was identified as Francis Volk. He was stand ing by an engine and was killed outright by a flying object. The rig had pulled between the burning warehouse and an adjacent building and it was showered with flying debris. It was because or this that offi cials feared for some time that firemen might have been trapped, under the rubble. Victims Identified The hospitalized were identi fied as Paul Kochis, Robert Alexanderson, Fred Vahst, Rob ert Jens, Fred Smolen, Jack Wilson. Asst. Chief John Nova lich, Michael Sanders and Fred Kocol. The fire was brought under control about 7:30 a.m. CST. An official of the firm said the warehouse, a one-story building of steel and corrugated metal construction, contained an undetermined quantity of anti-freeze and soap. The offi cial said he had no idea what caused the explosion or what the damage would amount to. Observers said the warehouse was a total loss and only a shell was standing. The explo sion collapsed a section about 50 yards long. The warehouse cov ered 60.000 square feet. Court Appearance For Trio Continued The district court appearance of three young men charged with extortion has been post poned until tomorrow, the dis trict attorney's office said. Lawyers for Steven Joseph Paradiso, 17, of 335'A W. Second St., and Robert Gray, 19, of 616 W. 11th St., Medford, have re quested a continuance so they may consult further with their clients. Walter Dale Balla, 19. of a local hotel, now does not have to be ' appointed, it was expla'ned The three men were charged with extortion after Allan F. Perrv. manager of the MprifnrH hranch of the II. S National! Bank ol Portland, received a telephone call Wednesdav de manding $5,000. The caller claimed Mrs. Perry was being held as a hostage. Foundation Gives Beekman House Picture to Court The Jackson County Court this morning received a framed pic ture of the restored home of early day banker C. C. Beek man today from officials of the Siskiyou Pioneer Sites Founda tion. In presenting the picture Elliott Becken and Jack Sutton thanked the county court for its efforts in helping save the historic landmark from auction by the University of Oregon and labor and money the foundation gave tor refurbishing the build ing. This is the third such picture presented by the foundation One has been sent ot the Port' land office of the U. S. National Bank of Portland to thank it for donating exterior paint for the building. Another went to the business office of the University of Oregon, Eugene. Sutton, who is local coordi nator for the urban renewal pro gram for Jacksonville, said the preliminary phase of the pro posed study has yet to be ap proved by federal officials. Key to the program is rehabilitation and commercial use of the old U. S. Hotel in Jacksonville. This would be required before much progress can be made in the urban renewal program, he said. A survey of the pioneer gold mining town and recommenda tions for rehabilitating the build ings in the key historical area in Jacksonville would cost an estimated $44,000 in federal funds. Once this study is com pleted, then the town would be eligible for $100,000 in govern ment funds for civic improve ments which would mean cover "public improvements" yet to be defined, Sutton said. State's Teachers Get $262 More PORTLAND (UPI) -The av erage annual salary for Oregon teachers is $262 higher than it was a year ago, the research department of the Oregon Edu cation Association announced today. A survey showed the state's 18,947 classroom teachers aver aged $6,281 this year, compared to $6,019 in 1962-63. Average salaries for adminis trators went up $420 from $8,- 938 to $9,358. The OEA also reported that school systems added 793 teach ers and 44 administrators to their staffs this year. It was a 4 per cent increase over last year. Air Force Launches Secret Satellite VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. (UPI) - A secret ' satellite, believed to be of the i type used in numerous capsule ; recoveries over the Pacific, was i launched Saturday by the Air Force As is customary, the Air Force ' announced only that the satellite was launched by an improved Thor-Agena booster rocket the same employed on the Discov er scries. reports said rescue ships today picked up about 900 survivors after fire and explosions ripped through the Greek liner Lakonia cruising with 1,036 persons aboard in Ihp Atlantic sm miles off the Moroccan coast. About 1O0 persons were feared dead in the disaster. Three of the passengers aboard were Americans, most nf the rest were Britons. A broadcast by the coastal radio station at Santa Cruz de Tenerife in the Canary Islands reported this afternoon that ap proximately 900 survivors had been rescued from the relative ly calm Atlantic waters and added that rescue operations were "practically at an end." Planes Dispatched The U.S. Air Force dispatched rescue planes from the Azores and Germany. An Air Force rescue spokesman at Ramstein, Germany, said one of the U.S. pilots reported sighting "about 100 bodies" in the water. He said the planes reported that all survivors appeared to have been picked up. "Our reports from the scene described the 100 or so bodies as lifeless," the Air Force spokesman said. "They said the bodies were in life jackets." The Canary Islands broadcast said the last person to leave the Lakonia was the Greek skipper of the luxury vessel, M. arbis. lhe ship was ablaze 500 miles off the coast of Mo rocco. Sea Mercifully Calm Many of the survivors were believed injured or suffering from exposure after hours spent in a mercifully calm sea await ing rescue. There was no confirmation from the British admiralty or the ship s owners of the Tene- rife raHin rticnim ronnrl 1 The 20,314-ton luxury liner was carrying 651 passengers and 385 crew members on a Christmas holiday cruise from England to the Portuguese is land of Madeira when fire broke out shortly before mid night. The flames spread so quickly that all but a relative handful of those aboard abandoned ship quickly, either by lifeboat or leaping into the water with life jackets. Reach Survivors Four small vessels, one of them an American freighter, were the first to reach the scene and plucked hundreds of survivors from the water. Early reports said the rescue ships probably would head for Casablanca, on the Moroccan Atlantic Coast. But the Argen tine ship Salta, reported to have 300 survivors aboard, reported it was headed for Funchal, Ma deira, 16 hours sailing time away, and it was believed others might steam for the same port. Senator Hits Cut Of SP Rail Service SALEM (UPD Oregon's pub lic utility commissioner today was urged to enter objections before the Interstate Commerce Commission to Southern Pacific company's proposed elimination of Shasta daylight train serv ice during the winter months. Sen. Edward Fadeley, D-Eu-gene, urged commissioner Jonel C. Hill to act "on behalf of the Oregon citizens to be affected by this arbitrary cutting of pas senger service." The railroad recently an nounced it wanted to eliminate its Shasta daylight passenger service between Portland and San Francisco during the winter months. Fadeley said the railroad's re quest "will result in a oeieri ment In Oreaon and the Wil lamette Valley economically in sofar as tourist and business travel is concerned, not to men tion lost employment opportuni ties." Fadeley charged "Southern Pacific Company just doesn't care about passenger travel and would be very happy if there was no passenger travel on its trains. WEATHER HmKCAST: VirUhl Houdl n lontsht ind Tuesday, hut with tiUht ind mornlni pitrh m nf valky f'rR. Low tonifht 28-33. Huh Ttifcdiy Temp. HlRhPSt VMtfffllV . l.oweitl Thli Mornltn . 37 Our Skies Tonight Suntft torliv .... :2 V - SiinrUf tomorrow .. 7:3ft a.m. Moon lift tomorrow 12:37 am. First OuarUr lodav 11:55 a.m. Thp wixln Moon that appari to tit Ifadlnu thf planrt, .nipt tr, ihruush thf iky lontrht will b totally eellpard mrly nmt Monday mornlnc and lhat Kdlpsr will rtf vltlhle throm fl out North America. ".IMt'lk' 1 IV 17 1) 11)1 A7t' AH nf ih.r-l i fin i T T k- 1S a recent pnoio of the Greek Liner Lakonia which sent out an SOS late Sun- day that it was ablaze and exploding. Radio reports this Foreign Aid Continues To Snarl Congress WASHINGTON (UPI) Irate Republicans balked Democratic efforts to win an immediate House test today on a foreign aid fight that has snarled up the adjournment of Congress for Christmas. They mustered enough votes to block consideration of the measure until Tuesday. House Democratic leaders needed a two-thirds vote of the House to waive a normal one- day waiting period before con sideration of the Russian trade credit amendment involved in the $3 billion aid appropriation. On a roll call, they didn't quite get it. The vote was 202 for pro ceeding today and 105 against it. Leaders Confident Congressional leaders mean time had rounded up every available member and were confident that despite a trans portation foulup due to an over night snow they had the votes t0 setUe lhe aid issue on lerms le to the President. ' Not only the foreign a 1 d money bill but Johnson's pres tige was at stake in the show down fight. A key Democratic leader, House Whip Hale Boggs of Louisiana, confidently claim ed enough strength to win the battle over the $3 billion appro priation bill. The rules group convened with every member on hand except Reps. Richard Boiling, D-Mo., H. Allen Smith, D-Calif., and Clarence J. Brown, R-Omo, Salad Oil King Gets Indictment NEWARK, N.J. (UPI) -Salad oil king Anthony (Tino) De An gelis was indicted by a federal grand jury today on charges of transporting forged warehouse receipts for $40 million worth of edible oils across state lines. The 18 count indictment against De Angelis, president of the brankrupt Allied Crude Veg etable Oil Refining Corp., was oresented to U.S. District Court Judge Anthony T. Augclli. It charged t h a t the 48-ycar-old executive took across state lines forged warehouse receipts of American Express Ware housing Ltd., of Bayonne, N.J., in whose tanks Allied Crude's oils were stored. The forgeries were made from Oct. 14 to 19, the indict ment charged. Books By, About Kennedy Sell Well PORTLAND (UPI) Book stores reported today that shelves were virtually empty ot books about or by the late President John F. Kennedy. A spokesman for J. K. Gill s said the demand was "beyond anything we've had in recent years." Among books In heavy de mand are "Proliles in Cou rage," written by the late Presi dent; "JFK, the Man and the Myth," by Victor Lasky, and "The Making of a President, by Theodore White. Agreement Reached On Farm Prices BRUSSELS (UPI) Common Market foreign ministers today reached full agreement on package deal on farm price problems, averting a threatened French move to wrecK tnc six nation economic bloc. "An agreement has been reached," West German For- eien Minister Gerhard Schroe der said alter leaving this all- ernoon's meeting. The accord came after six days of hard bargaining in which all six nations West Germany. France, Italy, Bel gium, The Netherlands and Luxembourg had to give and take for the common good. CfA T , ... , 12 Oregonians Die During Weekend Traffic Deaths Show Decrease During December By United Press International Twelve persons died as a re sult of accidents in Oregon dur ing Uie pre-Christmas week end. There were 10 traffic deaths and two persons died by drown ing. The traffic fatalities brought to 28 the number of persons kill ed on Oregon highways so far this month, compared with 35 for the first 23 days of Decem ber last year. So far in 1963 there have been 542 persons killed in Oregon traffic, 69 more than in the same period a year ago. Thomas Purcell, 18, Collate Grove, was fatally injured when his sports car went oft State Highway 226 four miles north of Cottage Grove Sunday. Lyle McClure of Silverton was killed in a two-car collision on State Highway 22, about 20 miles southwest of McMinnville, Sunday. Air Force T. Sgl. Jack Owens, 35, drowned in Agency Lake 30 miles north of Klamath Falls Sunday. He fell into the water from a small boat while hunt ing waterfowl. He was stationed at Kingsley Field near Klamath Falls. Ernest Kellen, 2.1, Rockaway, drowned in the Trask River eight miles cast of Tillamook Sunday. He fell into the water when his eight-foot boat cap sized. Three persons lost their lives in a two-car accident east of Portland Saturday. The victims were Guy Gorrell, 71, Boring and his wife, lna, and Robert Currie, 23, Portland. Mrs. Margaret Groshanz, 78, Springfield, was struck and killed by a car in Springfield Saturday. James Herrington, 35, Eagle Point, was killed in a two-car collision on U. S. Highway 109 five miles north of Cave Junc tion Saturday. Jacob Rosenburg, .17, Astoria, died when his car plunged off State Highway 202 into the Youngs River three miles cast of Astoria Saturday. George Helm, 22, Bend, was killed when the car in which he was riding slammed into a tree on U. S. Highway 97 five miles south of Bend Saturday. Brian Hanson, 2, Fortuna. Calif., died in a Medford hos pital Friday night from injuries suffered in a one-car accident near Cave Junction Friday. Land Sales Fraud Cases Under Study PORTLAND (UPI) -Federal Judge John F. Kilkenny May took under advisement motions to set aside mail fraud and con spiracy convictions of three men. The convictions were returned recently by a jury in Pendleton. I he motions were tiled by Richard D. Walker, 41, Los An geles; John M. Phillips, 38, Evanston, III., and Jack Cher- bo, 37, Chicago. They claimed there was insufficient evidence at the trial to sustain convic tion and that the court erred by allowing prejudicial and im proper statements and evidence. MILK TO IIF, TOPIC SALEM (UPI) - The Stale Agriculture Department will propose at a hearing here Dec. 30 that all transfers of milk quotas under the market pool bo reported to the department by the handler who represents the producer. i morning indicated that more rescued. (UPI) Jeannace Caused Near-Riot, Warden Discloses By ZAN STARK United Press International SALEM (UPI) A near-riot by five women prisoners erupted at the State Penitentiary Nov. IB when condemn! child slayer Jeannace June Freeman was placed in isolation, after! Passionate Letter Found trying to drown out organ music I During the cleanup, prison au from the prison chapel by bast-l ritles found a passionata inn ho- ,.aii r.riin .t ion ,,i,,m lI"ree - page letter from Miss ut i nl . "''" DA Preparing 1 n I i Zoning Resolution The district attorney's office is preparing a resolution ami oraerior uiejan. aieecuonon torney Alan Holmes said this moming. The resolution and order will be in the hands of the county court tomorrow. The court's next regular meeting is Friday, Holmes told six representa- lives from the area this morn- ing (hot the county court could legally delay the election until after the present interim zoning ordinonce expires on Nov. 1 1964. This might give the Jack son County Planning Commis sion time to complete a com prehensive area development plan. the representatives of the South Talent Improvement As sociation which met with the district attorney today favor zoning, but feel permanent zon ing would be useless without a development plan. They were meeting with the district attor ney to see if anything could be done legally to postpone the election. Holmes emphasized that the county court can call the elec tion without waiting for the completion of the plan. IIF.ARINGS SCIIKDULED SALEM (DPI) - The public utility commission has sched uled a series of hearings on proposals by the Union Pacific Railroad and Railway Express Agency to withdraw their agents from Wasco and Grass Valley in Sherman County, it was an nounced today. Johnson Ends Month's Mourning for Kennedy WASHINGTON (UPI)-"...Lct us here on this Christmas night determine that John Kennedy did not live or die in vain, that this nation under God shall have a new birth of freedom, and that we may achieve in our time and for all time the ancient vision of peace on earth, good will toward all men." With these words, spoken from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial at dusk Sunday, President Johnson ended the nation's month of mourning for President Kennedy. Flags all over the nation fly at lull stall today for the first time since Kennedy was shot down in Dallas Nov. 22. The black banners that darkened the door of the White House Candles Lighted are gone. Thousands of candles, lighted In memory of the late Chief Executive, flickered In the win tcr wind as Johnson evoked than 600 persons had been fi"" "u ullu Freeman as a result two tables wers smashed, 76 windows were shat tered, bedding in several cells was filled with glass, a wash basin was torn from a cellhloolc wall, and mirrors, lotion bottles "J'Ti" u umer personal ettects wero smashed. . """"'Ol WUIimil prisoner. The disturbance came In linht after George F. Neavoll of Eu gene wrote Warden Gladden charging he had heard Miss ' ccman nau . Deen placed in taTo, undetd Neavoll, who last year person ally appealed to Gov. Mark Hat field to commute Miss Free- man.s dea(h senl as0 rjof. IMt Cnnvlrtlnn I Miss Freeman. 9.9.. ivnt nnn vfcted of Die 1981 slaving nf a 6-year-old boy. She would be the first woman to be executed in Oregon. The State Supreme Court re- I cently turned down her plea for a new trial. Further appeals aro expected on behalf of Miss Freeman, who has had threa stays of execution. Prison records show Miss Freeman was placed in isola tion Nov. 18 when she becama violent after being ordered to turn down the volume of her radio. She had turned up tho volume to drown out the organ music from the prison chapel. At 8:30 p.m. the same day. two women prisoners becama violent in protest against Miss Freeman's being placed in iso lation. At 9:10 p.m. another woman prisoner became violent, then in quick order, two more women began breaking up their cells, and screaming wildly at prison authorities. The disturabance was quelled at 10:30 p.m., and the five wo men were placed in isolation. Privileges Cut Out Miss Freeman was moved back to her cell, which had been stripped of all its furnish ings. She was deprived of pri vilges, her radio and television, for 18 days, Warden Gladden said. memories of Kennedy and of the matryred Abraham Lincoln and the Gettysburg Address. Lights Candle Standing bare-headed in the cold, Johnson lighted a candla from fire carried from the eter nal flame that burns over tho slain President's grave across the Potomac in Arlington Na tional Cemetery. Johnson's talk was brief and rang with the phrases sounded at Gettysburg 100 years and one month ago. "We have been bent in sor row but not In purpose," ho said. "We buried Abraham Lin coln and John Kennedy, but wa did not bury their dreams or visions." , "Thirty days and a few hours ago, John F. Kennedy, 35th President of the United States, died a martyr's death. Tho world will not forgot what he did here. He will live on in our hearts which will be his shrine," the President said. 4
