The Daily Alaska empire Newspaper, January 14, 1942, Page 1

- 8 o THE DAILY ALASKA EMPIRE VOL LVIIL, NO. 8931. “ALL THE NEWS ALL THE TIME” jUNEAU ALASKA, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY I4 1942 2 MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS COUNTERBLOWSLAUNCHED AGAINST JAP ONE INJURED One-Man Control OverU.S. INEXPLOSION OF GASBOAT Vessel SpliBle_red fo Bits—% Gas Fumes Possible | Cause of Blast ’ Exploding with a thunderous roar, the gasboat Dupoco was ripped to pleces and its lone occupant, Jimmy Bartells, severely burned early this morning in a blast or undetermined origin, The Dupoco, owned by the DuPont Power Company, was moored at the City Float when the blast occurred. Authorities today were investigating the possibility that gasoline fumes in the hull of the small vessel were ignited by a spark, possibly from a | cigarette. The Dupoco refueled at | the Standard Oil Company pier last ! night and then moved to the City | Float. The blast came at 5:25 o'clock | this morning. | Blown Into Water Bartells was blown into the water | as the ship splintered around mm.i A high, flashing flare lit the skies as | flaming timbers showered down | upon the float, pier and other boats moored there. Bartells, struggling in the buming | film of gasoline which spread rap- | idly over the water, suffered third degree arm, leg and facial burns. He | was rushed to St. Ann's Hospital, after being pulled from the water by | Carl Baker of the gasboat Sadie md two members of the crew of the| [ Josie II, which was lying next to the | Dupoco. | Josie I Damaged The Josie II, owned by Matthew | Lawrence; was badly damaged by the | biast. The starboard hull was smash- | ed,. railings carried away and the | hatch cover wrenched out of shape. | Nohe of the crew wag injured, how- | ever. | Concussion from the blast broke | plate glass windows in the chnrlesl‘ G. Warner Machine Shop and Swan- | son Brothers Grocery Store on South | Franklin Street and awakened scores | of waterfront residents. Beds were | shaken and dishes rattled in many | homes and hundreds of residents in Juneau and Douglas were aroused by |/ the blast or subsequent fire alarm. Juneau firemen played water on the drifting timbers which blazed | brightly for several minutes. Several i gasboats were cut adrift by their owners and drifted into the Chan- nel Posslblllty that the blast resulted | from dynamite or black powder was | discounted today by authorities. | Federal Bureau of Investigation agents were on the scene a few mo- ments after the blast and indicated the blast probably was accidental. Debris Hurled | So terrific was the force of the ex- | plosion that only small pieces of the Dupoco were found. One of the petiie i PR LR R R (Continued on Page Six) CHANGES IN GAMELAWS ARE ASKED New AIaskaTu;fling Regu- lations fo Allow Serv- ice Men License | WASHINGTON, Jan. 14 — The, Alaska Game Commission, holding | its annual meeting here, discussed today with Alaska’s Delegate An- thony J. Dimond one of its most vexing problems—the demand of soldiers and sailors in the Territory that they be permitted to obtain one-dollar, resident hunting licen-' ses, rather than pay $50 for non- resident permits. Dimond said the comm!shlon members expressed the opinion that legislation might be needed to per- mit a re-adjustment of the hunt- ing regulations. Because of the heavy influx of population, largely service men, it may be necessary to restrict the hunting of moose, cari- bou and mountain sheep to prevent their extinction. The commission has recom- mended changes in the Alaska game laws to Secretary of the In-\ terior Harold L. Ickes, who must' approve them before they can be- come effective, . War Produd ion Effort Sef Up by President Roosevelt Tl'TOE—An asset to any bathing suit, particularly one of elasticized cloth with appliques, is Movie Actress Rita Hayworth who stands on tiptoe for extra measure. Suit has a halter neck. LAGUARDIA ISPUZLLED OVER POSTS Must Decide Whether fo Remain as Mayor or as Director, Civ. Defense WASHINGTON, Jan. 14—Mayor | LaGuardia today said he will soon have to decide whether to continue as Mayor of New York or Civilian Defense Director. Mayor LaGuardia told the mem- |bers of the House Defense Com- m\ttee that he wanted to stay on/ as Defense Chieftain until Congress | has finally passed the Lill author- izing appropriations ard also to work on another bill now in the| making to provide for compensation | of civilian defense wprkers injured durmg zhexr tasks. BRITISH KEEP UP ADVANCE Imperial Troops Drive For-| ward on Refreafing Rommel Forces CAIRO, Jm u — The official communique notes increased Axis aerial activity but reports the ad- vance Imperial troops are driving forward in pursuit of Gen. Erwin Rommel’s retreating army south of Elagheila, 90 miles southwest of the old battle sector Agedabia. D There are over 200 classified causes of death, according to the Census, WASHINGTON, Jan. 14—Presi- dent Roosevelt has created a one- man control over America’s vast | war production effort with power concentrated in Donald M. Nelson as generalissimo of supply. all | The surprise announcement was | | given out last night just about two | hours before Wendell L. Willkie was |to go on the air with a demand that a one-man control be set up to end the present “debating so- ! ciety” methods. | Nelson 53 years of age and came to the Government as a One- | Dollar-a-year man from the Vice Presidency of Sears, Roebuck. Today, America’s new war pro- duction boss Nelson told the Army, Navy and the OPM that he is ready to shake up the entire de- fense set-up if necessary to “lick Hitler and the Japs.” The declaration was made in letters to OPM Director General Knudsen, Undersecretary of War Patterson and Undersecretary Navy Forrestal. Nelson in his letters that “any organizational he will have to make in order is declared changes to of | put across the job he has to han- | dle will be made without fear or __ favor.” Nelson's first official act since his selection by Roosevelt as the one-man head of the Nation's en- tire war production, continued: “We have just ome job to do and that is to make engugh war material to lick Hitler and the Japs. We must do it in the short- est possible time and the present organization must and will evolve a most effective possible ment. To do this, everyone con- nected with the production pro- curement in all agencles of the Government must carry on with the utmost devotion and energy.” ;wa DEFENSE LINES SET UP BY IMPERIAL Japanese Penetration on Malaya Moves Near- 5 er Singapore SINGAPORE, Jan. forces have manned a new de- fensive line somewhere in the British Postal Service now is operating only between Singapore {and Johore. of Malaya now remain in British hands, Johore etrated by the annnese \War DeparTm_enI Reports Enemy Making "Testing { Stabs’ in Philippines { c { WASHINGTON, Jan. 14. — The War Department today announced two attacks against the American- Filipino defenders of the Philip- |pines were repulsed yesterday. | “with supporting artilléry and .«nrcrnn the enemy’s operations were in the nature of testing stabs,” the communique said. The Army reported Japanese !losses as heavy but said American and Filipino casualties were “com- paratively small.” ————— | BUY DEFENSE STAMPS instra- | 14—Imperial ed between November 168 and Janu- the slain in recent fighting not to men- | | southern Malayas, an official noti- tion thousands taken prisoners in fication disclosed today in stating U The people of Singapore IWere yea5 100,000 men still hold out des- | sobered by the realization that only pite the danger of being trapped in | about one-fifth of the territory and the Russian pincers closing in on |about one-fourth of the population the north and south. is the only one of the broken the Mozhaisk lines but as- native states not occupied or pen- serted the Reds were later dislodged | rwo AHA(I(S AUTO BAN SALE BY JAPANESE ARE REPULSED CORREGIDOR'S GREAT STRENGTH SHOWN ¢ GIBRALTAR OF ORIENT—Why Corregidor guns may command Manila Bay entrance indefinitely is made clear by this diagram. With all facilities and quarters deep in solid rock, defenders can hold out for months. Wartime Production Line af Boemgs ship into harbor doubly impo;slble RED ARMY ADVANCING ONNAIZIS Within 100 Miles of Hit- ler's Winter Headquar- ters and Forging On (By Associated Press) Russian troops are reported ad- vancing to within 100 miles of Hit- ler's winter headquarters at Smol- ensk, while in the south the Red Army forces are pictured as storm- | ing the outer gates of Kharkov, Russia’s “Pittsburgh.” H Soviet military dispatches said the collapse of the German wing de- fending the flank on the Moscow- | Mozhaisk highway has been knocked out. This is described as the “last zone of the positioned warfare” be- fore Moscow. | Dispatches indicate that the| “whole front is now in motion,” the Russians declaring also that Hitler’s fleeing armies have lost 200,000 kill- ary 6 in three sectors and 20,000 he Donets River industrial basin The Red Army forces are described today as battering heavily against the German defenses at Mozhaisk itself where the Nazi garrison of at (anadalo HerdEnemy Aliens Now Will Remove Ja pa nese from Deiense Areas in British Columbia OTTAWA, Jan. 14—The Domin- ion Government announced today that all enemy aliens will be re- moved from defense areas in British | Columbia where there are now some 2,000 Japanese. The only exception will be those holding police permits, and they may remain. e The German military headquart- | ers acknowledges the Russians have by counbcr attacks. ‘ | IS EXTENDEDTO FEBRUARY TWO WASHINGTON, Jan. 14 The Office of Production Management liast night announced extension un- til February 2 of the ban on sales of new passenger automobiles and trucks. This is done pending com- pletion of details of the auto in- dustry rationing program. B S BUY DFFEN BONDS BUY DEFZNSE fl’l‘AMPB How 1o Live for Less And still maintain your standard of living in the face of higher prices, is a problem plaguing most of The AP Feature Service has ecompiled from experts a series of 12 simple, helpful ways to stretch your payroll dollar to the end of the bud- get. First of the series appears today in The Empire. e ————————————————— Heavily mined areas on both sides make entrance of any enemy Boeing Aircraft Company released this picture of a heavy bomber production line at its Seattle plant, co- incident with a statement the firm had beaten delivery schedules by 70 per cent in December. ! announcement and photograph were npproved by the War I)opm'l.rnent. It said the Real Democracy Begms ToHit Washingion When Blackout Studies Made pucion saiance for BY JACK STINNETT | WASHINGTON, Jan. 14 — The |Capital in Wartime: All the horrors of war aren’t con-|city's Itined to the front or even to |bombed cities. For example, there are those “patriotic” songs that have sprung up on the radio over- night—as thick as weeds in an un- worked cotton patch. In Hollywood, several Johnnie- come-earlies turned out at the crack of dawn one morning to file first claim at the Hays office to the title, “Remember Pearl Harbor.” | Another company announced with {patriotic fervey that it would abandon proceedings on a super- duper called “Pearl Harbor Pearl.” One well patronized Washington restaurant already has changed “Italian spaghettl” on its menu to ‘Liberty noodles,” which must make the Nazi nudel lovers laugh. And ancther s advertising its spaghet as “Victory macaroni,” which is cqually silly, maecheroni being just at Italian as its slender cousin. A traffic violator, haled into court the other d: for failure to post his bail the ht before, explained he had driven up to the 8th Pre- i cinct police station and discovered |“it was closed for the night.” The judge let him off. The 8th Precinct finest example station 'is the of how tol ‘blackout a building. During black- |ambulance driver. it looks about as full of life| as an abandoned warehouse on the riverfront in a heavy mid- night fog. outs, One of Washington’s women taxi drivers applicd to the Red Cross for appointment as an She was told, she says, that she would have to prove her worth by driving 100 hours for the Red Cross in her own car. She asked how about the 10 years she had been driving a taxi in Washington traffic? That didn’t count. Speaking of taxis, the District of Columbia's are being organized into a “civiian defense motor corps” that might be one of the most effective aids to the capltal‘ if trouble comes. It Is estimated that there is one to every 250 per-| sons in the District. In an air attack, these would be (Continued on ane Five) He should have.| several| 'WAVELLNOW IN CAMPAIGN AGAINSTJAPS JBrmsh Commander Assist- ed by American Gen- eral, in Indies SARAWAK OBJECT ! OF DUTCH DRIVE American Bombers Return Safely After Atfack on Nipponese Ships (By Associated Press) « | Gen. Archibald Wavell, Command- er of the new Allled Far East Com- | mand, has arrived in the Dutch East | Indies and already launched a series |of dynamic counterblows against the Japanese invasion forces, mili~ tary dispatches said today. | Dutch troops are reported moving into action on the border of the | kingdom of Sarawak, the capital of Kuchina in the northen territory, | where the Japanese are mobilized. Brett Also at Scene | Gen. Wavell's second in command, | Lieut. Gen. George Brett, former Chief of the U. 8. Army Air Corps, {arrived at the same time to help | direct strategy in the Indies’ fight- |ing and defense. A Dutch communique said 18 Jap- anese were killed in preliminary skirmishes on the Sarawak frontier | with the loss of only one Dutch | soldier. Dutch East Indies troops also were | reported battling hand to hand with Japanese in . near Lake Ton- | dano on the nort! tip of Celebes Island, | A Tokyo broadcast sald yesterday | that Japanese forces captured Kakas | Atrdrome at Menado, chief port on | Minahassa Peninsula on Celebes Island, across the Celebes Sea from Borneo. Dutch Bomb Tarakan Simultaneously, Dutch warplanes bombed the Japanese - occupied island of Tarakan off the coast of Dutch North Borneo and a Japanese | base in the southern Philippines. This latter base presumably was Davao on Mindanao Island, 600 miles south of Manila, which the | Japanese are believed to be using as a jumping-off place for the invasion of the Dutch East Indies. | A United States Army bulletin said three American bombers fight- | ing with Dutch Indies forces attack- | ed Japanese warships near Tarakan and destroyed at least two enemy | fighter planes. The American planes | returned to an undisclosed base un- damased the communique said. U. 5. T0 HoLD NEW CARS FOR ATLEAST YEAR Rest of Month to Be Stored, Future Need WASHINGTON, Jan. 14.—Price |Administrator Leon Henderson to- day told the House Small Business Committee that plans have been made for the rationing of between 600,000 and 700,000 new automo- biles, New cars produced during the Ibalance of this month will be held at least one year to meet futurs needs. . The production balance for January is estimated at from 130,- [000 to 140,000 units. Henderson flatly refused to say | whether present plans called for |the rationing of used cars and |flatly denied the government has any intention of taking ovzr pri- vate vehicles. S e | HENRY GREENS RETURN Henry Green, Northland : Trans- | portation Company agent. here, and }er Green and their son, Denny, |returned to Juneau this afternoon __lafter an extended visit in the lsuws