The Daily Alaska empire Newspaper, August 14, 1939, Page 1

THE DAILY ALASKA EMPIRE “ALL THE NEWS ALL THE TIME” VOL. LIV., NO. 8181. Pl re——————— | JUNEAU, ALASKA, MONDAY, AUGUST 14, 1939. MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS PRICE TEN CENTS 20 KILLED, 114 INJURED IN TRAIN WRECK New Solution of Danzig Issue Now Advanced ] “Thrllled” by First Auto Ride PEA(EFU[ PROPOSAL League of Nation's Com- missioner Springs Into Limelight GERMANY, iTALY SAID TO BE FAVORING PLAN Dire Threatfr:dade, How- ever by Mouthpiece, Nazi Office BULLETIN — ROME, Aug. 14.—Italians, outside of the Government, said Germany and Italy have held agreeable con- ferences with Great Britain and France over a settlement of the German claim to Dan- zig and the plan is reported to embrace three points with a settlement of Europe's other ecencmic and colonial expan- France. BERLIN, Aug. 14—A Nazi source of unusually good connections with high officialdom, said Prof. Earl Bruckhardt, League of Nation’s Commissioner to Danzig, has a plan for a peaceful settlement of the dispute between Germany and Poland over the free City of Dan- zig. _The plan, according to this source, calls for the reunion of Danzig with the Reich, also “di- rect guaranteed connection between East Prussia, including Danzig and Germany proper.” Plan Is Known Chancellor Hitler, Polish Foreign Minister leader Albert Forster, are reported acquainted with the plan and have accepted it, according to reports, as a possible basis for discussion. The Nazi source also claims Bruckhardt is making a secret trip to London to present his plan to Lord Halifax. Visited Hitler Only today, for the first time, have authoritative quarters ac- knowledged Bruckhardt was in Berchesgadden last week and con- versed with Hitler. Disclosure came as officials were weighing the results of the week- end conferences of Hitler, German Foreign Minister von Ribbentrop and Italian Foreign Minister Ciano in which Germany and Italy are reported to have set a joint course of action and declaration as re- gards the Danzig issue. Declaration The declaration on Danzig is reported to say that unless the| issue is settled speedily the “Euro- pean powder barrel may explode.” The mouthpiece of the Foreign Office says today that “if stub- bornness and insolence of certain powers in regions that in no way concern their interests continues, they may be sure of the fact that a determined Germany and Italy will be posed against them.” In London In London, British officials ob- served that Bruckhardt is now in a position to make contact with both the “Polish Government and Danzig.” They see in Bruckhardt's talk with Hitler a possible pre- liminary move to negotiate the dis- pute. In Warsaw In Warsaw the view is that Bruckhardt discussed with Hitler | the possibility of a “new solution” for the future of Danzig with Ger- many as before the World War. Italy’s Foreign Minister, Count Ciano, flew home to Rome Sunday to report to Premier Mussolini on his conference with Chancellor Hit- ler. While he was making his re- port t oIl Duce it was being denied by Italian Government sources that he had told Hitler to “go easy” in his dispute over Danzig. Several British newspapers said (Continued on Page Seven) Beck and Danzig Nazi| | imaginary invaders | around the country after coming in “Just like gliding” was verdict of Dorothea Swainson, of Bermuda, after making her first trip in an automobile. Dorothea, 18, and Bermuda’s | phed spending vacation at New York's first beauty queen, was photogral World’s Fair, The trip was prize for winning the contest, MIMIC WAR GAMEIS ON DURING WEEKi Regular Army Men, Na- | tional Guardsmen Will Stage Battle (By Associated Press) The Army’s best minds have spot- ted positions for 50,000 men in up- state New York and nearly 25,000 more around Washington, D. C., in the defense of the east against| swarming from the Atlantic. Twelve thousand Nauonal Guardsmen from 13 states arrived | in Plattsburgh, N. Y. Sunday, '.0 join regular army men already sta-! tioned in the Lake Champlaign area. | Others are due today and Tuesday to complete the lines for defense. Meanwhile a modern army of the| Potomac, will move to vulnerable; points around Washington, D. C.| The war will then be on and several thousand men will be detailed to| form an imaginary attacking army.| The attackers will be given aj| handicap by assuming that they have already landed and swept across New England. Their main ob- jective will be to dislodge the de- fending army at Lake Champlain and prepare for a march southward. Attacks on Washington will be in the nature of attempts to draw | troops up from the New York de- fenses. This week's mimic battles will con- | sist primarily of skirmishes and the | zero hour will not come until noon {of August 22, ————,——— NEW YORK, Aug. 14—Closing quotation of Alaska Juneau mine stock today is 7!, American Can 100%, American Power and Light 5%, Anaconda 26, Bethlehem Steel 61%, Commonwealth and Southern 1%, Curtiss Wright 5, General Mot~ tors 47%, International Harvester 53 3-4, Kennecott 35%, New York Central 14%, Northern Pacific 9%, United States Steel 48%, Pound $4.68%. DOW, JONES AVERAGES The following are today’s Dow, Jones averages: industrials 140.18, rails 28.56, utilities 26.62, President Roosevelt Isat Sea Chcef Execuhve Is Aboard Cruiser-Keep in Touch with General News NEW YORK, Aug. 14.—President | Roosevelt is cruising along the first leg of a ten-day fishing trip that will probably take him into Nova Scotia Coastal waters. The Chief Executive is aboard the Navy cruiser Tuscaloosa. He went on board after holding a telephone conference with Secretary of State Hull at Washington regarding the | European situation. He will keep in touch with both the domestic and international situations by wireless during the entire cruise. SEHRLWN. - 4, Relief Flour Is Destroyed {Ninety-six Thousand Sacks Ruined by Acid-Search Being Made for Clues LOS ANGELES, Cal, Aug. 14. — Police are seeking clues that will | lead to the arrest of the persons who ruined about 96,000 sacks of state relief administration flour. Damage was said to have amounted to about $200,000. The flour was stored in a ware- house and someone broke into the building and emptied the contents of a number of huge fire extinguish- ers over the piled up sacks. The acid contents soaked through the flour and almost all of it was said to be a total loss. The relief admin- istration faces an acufe shortage in Southern California as a result of the wanton destruction. —_— . — WED AT FIARBANKS FIRE DESTROYS HOME ‘The home of Mr. and Mrs. Eugene Wacker, at Wacker City, near Ket- chikan, and all contents, was recent- ly destroyed by fire. The Ketchikun Fire Department responded to an alarm but as there was no water supply, all the boys could do was to prevent the fire from spreading. 14 KILLED IN CRASH OF PLANE {Pan Ameican. Clipper in| Accident in Rio de Janerio Harbor 'SIX AMERICANS ARE AMONG LISTED DEAD Pilot with Million - Mile Record Is Victim with Three Crewmen RIO DE JANEIRO, Aug. 14—/ Fourteen persons, including Prof. | | James Rogers, noted Yale economist, i and five other Americans were kill- | ed Sunday | clipper crashed in Rio de Janerio, harbor. | Pilot A. G. Person, a 1,000,000-mile veteran, and three other Anu-rican‘ crew men were killed. The plane had just completed a flight from Trinidad and the crash occurred when landing at the Rio seaplane base. | Eleven bodies have been recovered and removed from the wreckage and taken to the morgue. 1 Divers and surface workecis with grappling irons are seeking the bodies of other victims. The twisted wreckage of the clip- per has been towed to the Rio air- port where Brazilian officials and Pan American representatives have begun to search for clues as to the | | cause of the accident One rescue worker said some bodies fell on the dock with one mo- | tor and were burned. Another said the faces of the pas- sengers in the cabin failed to show signs of pain or anguish which signs would have been evident if the, had drowned. | Pan American officials said the last message failed to shed any light | {on the accident. | | Mario Lyra, Brazilian, one of the | two survivors, said the voyage was ! perfectly normal, without any trou- | ble, until' the clipper began to descent and the “plane seemed to fall with broakncck fipeed o | | ULTIMATUM GIVEN | T0 STRIKING MEN, SEATILE FERRIES Gov. Marfin Says Stafe| Will Operate Boafs- Deadline Tuesday SEATTLE, Aug. 14—Gov. Martin has ordered that Puget Sound ferry boats be put into service this week. The order came in an ultimatum | to the operators and the Island| Boatmen’s Union. The Governor said that the state will take over the ferries unless the strike that has tied up service is| settled immediately. Tomorrow is the deadline. Ten thousand commuters who ride daily were left without service when the strike was called. The strike is the third in four years. Ce————— NELSON CHARLES IS | GRANTED ANOTHER EXECUTION STAY A stay of execution until October |14 was granted Nelson Charles convicted Ketchikan slayer, today by District Judge George F. Alex- ander, b L 4 Ziegler and King, attorneys for the Ketchikan native, moved for the order to extend the time in which to perfect their appeal. If today’s stay had not been grant- ed, Charles would hang August 22. when a Pan American | e ey TIME FLIES; hours, 14%% minutes, Capt. L. F. Harman (left), co-pilot, and Maj. S it SO DID THEY_Flying from Burbank, Cal, to Floyd Bennett field in 9 tanley M. Umstead (second from left), pilot, check their time with Wm. Zint, official N.A.A. timer, and Lieut. Com. Donald F. Smith “eight). at Floyd Benneft 959 #11,493,0009%° Including— MILLIONS OF DOLLARS 7, NN L. e i1 DEFENSE i 193573 1132 UEE-”“ mmw#m EALT) AGRICULTURE &= RELIEF o7 — Chart shows record peactime appropriations in this session of Con- gress, through August 1, before the last-days economy wave slashed spending proposals, as compared with appropriations for the last fiscal year. Chart does NOT include the final deficiency bill. About a billion of the increase for fiscal 1940 was classified as “permanent appropriations” for interest on national debt, social security reserves and other items outside relief and defe; DEMOCRACY HAS ITS POINTS— AND A BETTER FOOD SUPPLY By PRESTON GROVER has been troubled with food sur- WASHINGTON, Aug. 14—At last | Pluses these many months and has comes @ concrete demonstration that | been disposed to encourage, farmers it is nicer to live in a democracy | t0 TOW less Instead of more. That than in Germany, even though the has been only partly successful in weather is hot over here. | bnl{mcmg crops against nntim.nal ap- Almost on the same day came|Petite. More recently the system of stamp distribution among relief cli- the German official warning !hnt.em‘g e beat e i the le must eat less food and ¥ 8 5 pocwLe o of particular varieties of food the American official pronounce- ment that people in 100 U, S. cities| Congress pur up $100,000,000 of would be persuaded to eat more|good paper money to finance stamp food. distribution so that a relief client i ¥ coch | Will get an additional 50 cents for Liberty and freedom of speech| % and the right to go to the First|SQecial health-building foods for Baptist Church are not very ma-|®VerY dollar he gets of relief pay- terial things to talk about so long, Ments for general expenditures, It !has worked very well, or at least as you are free to have any one or) ¢ all ):,1 them. But food is s:mcthm:{ the Department of Agriculture says else. You have it or you don’t have it and you begin to know the dif- ference in 24 hours. Loss of church privileges or the right to give or it has, in two or three cities to date and the Department is reaching out to take in more. Quietly the Department of Agri- Thair d.matared Roeing hamhar flam mactle fu swh clesbnonhare. S1X NATNONAL E GUARDSMEN DE, | DUD EXPLOSION Military Inv_es'tigation Im- mediately Ordered Info Disaster FORT KN()X Kentucky, Aug. 14, ~—8ix Indiana National Guardsmen were killed Sunday by the explosion of a supposedly dud shell on the ar- tillery range. Three other Guardsmen suffered “flesh wounds.” | Gen. Robert Tyndall, Command- er of the Thirty-Eighth Division, | 109th Field Artillery, |an immediate military inquiry. The accident occurred on the company street of the National | Guard unit in annual summer train- ing. Gen. Tyndall admitted that the | Military Board of Inquiry will have |little to go on because “every man directly connected with the ex- plosion is dead.” b Those killed were Corporals Charles Hendricks and Roy Maxey, and Privates Willis Snow, John Jones and Arthur McCarty. D ' STRENGTHENING ORIENT FORCES France Augument Staffs, Near East (By Associated Press) today that Great Britain and France are strengthening their land and sea forces as well as their air units in the Near East and in the| Pacific to meet any threat which might result from adherence by | Japan to the Rome-Berlin mili- tary alliance. Great Britain has sent heavy re- inforcements to the Suez Canal and Singapore. French troops to the east have| been increased by the thousands. During the past few days 7,000 troops from the Indian the Second Battalion of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders ar-| rived at Singapore in addition to a bombing squadron. has ordered | Both Greai—l;ila inand| Authoritative French sources say | DISASTER IS GREATESTIN R.R.HISTORY Cars Hurled from Bridge Info River in Cen- fral Nevada TAMPERED RAIL CAUSES FRIGHTFUL ACCIDENT 'Saboteur Sought by Auth- orities — Dragnet Is Quickly Spread RENO, Nevada, Aug. 14.—Officers of the Southwest have spread a dragnet for the saboteur who tam- ered with a rail in the central Nevada wastelands causing death to |20 persons and injuring 114 other passengers Saturday night in one of the most disastrous train wrecks in modern history. The $2,000,000 Southern Pacific | streamliner crumbled on a bridge and was hurled into the Humboldt River after striking a misplaced rail which the coroner's jury and rail- road officials said had been moved “by & person or persons unknown.” Moved—Spiked Officials said the rail section had been moved four inches inward and spiked there. The scene was one of destruction | and horror. Six of the 17 cars of the stream- liner were demolished. The loss Is estimated above $1,- 000,000. One of the uninjured passengers described the scenes as ghastly, “many of the victims literally being torn to pieces.” Extensive Search Is On | State, Federal and railroad police are searching the lonely sage brush wastes in search of an earless wreck- | er, suspected of the Nevada dis~ aster. Police Chief Andy Welliver said the suspect “answers the description of an earless man” arrested in the railroad yards at Sparks, Nevada. FBI agents have joined the auth- orities in questioning the man, who denied any connection with the wreck., He gave the name of Bob La Duceur, 28, of Lewistown, Mon- tana. William Sked, railroad investi- gator, said the man was “sore at railroads,” since a train cut off part of his left foot two years ago. Ten employees of the train, seven of them negroes, were killed. Southern Pacific Railroad officials declare there is no question that the train was deliberately wrecked in the canyon cut through the hills of central Nevada by the winding Hum- boldt River which at this season of the year is little more than a | ereck Tumbleweed was placed on the track to hide the job. The location was picked with the ;appnrent intention of sending the | entire train into the river. Work of Two Men Army and | Officials said that two men prob- ‘ably did the work because it would have taken one man working alone | at least four hours. The last train | before the steamliner “City of San xP‘rumLxco" passed over the tracks lnvp hours earlier. Death List | The death list of the wreck of |the steamliner as announced by | the Southern Pacific Company in- cluded William Burton, Harry take a little soap box oratory goes| culture has been toying with the on at a slow pace and may take idea of permitting relief clients to years. |use the stamps to purchase cotton It is our personal impression|goods. It would take an awful lot that nothing will re-establish the!of stamps to make much of a dent virtues of democracy in Yankee|in the cotton surplus, all of which minds so quickly as stories of Ger-|the Department knows very well. | many’s cutting down the food aup-;’Bue a dent is a dent, and, besides, ply to support rearmament | the Department suspects that a few In spite of the fact that we are more shirts a year wouldn’t hurt the wallowing knee-deep in military | average Iamny expenditures, nobody here h.uv started to cut down the daily ra-| ONE SIMILARITY tion. To date we have noticed only one similarity betwWeen the food pro- | STAMPS ARE SUCCESSFUL [ The Department of Agriculture| (Continued vn Plgefii‘:l'glrlt') rier Eagle and|Schwein, George McDaniels, Ar- 1 cruisers are due at|n0ld Robar, Charles Lewis, Milton the navy base this week. Barta, Burl Bowens and Charles e Johnson—all Southern Pacific em- (ONNORS S'DES | ployees of Oakland, Cal; Waiter y | Francis Gibbons of Berkeley, Cal.; HOME FROM ."“pi}men Henry of Oakland; Myrtle | Kobosky, Eland, Wis.; Miss Helen Bl | Hawell, Oakland; Elmer Martin of Collector of Customs J. J. Con-|Oak Park, Ill; W. G. Jensen of nors and Deputy Collector Mervin| New York Cily; Katherine Hurz Sides returned on the steamer|of Chicago and six bodies that are Mount McKinley from Ketchikan|as yet unidentified. lafter a routine trip of port in-| Among the injured was Mrs. Os- spection which took them also to|car Vitt, wife of the manager of Petersburg, Wrangell Prince Ru- the Cleveland Indians baseball pert and Hyder. team. She is expected to recover,