The Daily Alaska empire Newspaper, December 16, 1942, Page 1

THE DAILY ALASKA EMPIRE VOL.'LX., NO. 9216. “ALL THE NEWS ALL THE 1‘1ME" JUNEAU, ALASKA, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 16, 1942 MBkR ASSO(‘ lATFD PRESS PRICE TEN CENT3 CENTS OMMEL TAKING TERRIBL IR BEATING U.S. Bombers Make Bzg Raid O Firemen Insped Ruins of nghi Club SOLOMON ISLANDS ATTACKED No Enemy Opposiiion Met, Navy Says — Munda Again Assaulted WASHINGTON, Dec. 16. — The United States bombers raiding the Jap installations on Bougainville Island in the Solomons met no en- emy opposition, the Navy Depart- ment reported today. No explanation was available .for the lack of opposition at Buin, con- sidered one of the principal Jap air bases located about 275 miles north- west of Guadalcanal. Navy planes also wiped out two attack on the Munda airfield under construction by the Japs on New Georgia Island. Navy planes alos wiped out two Jap machine guns crews at Guad- alcanal .. Congress May Quit Tonight BULLETIN-—WuhInnon. Dec. 16.—The Senate of the 77th Congress adjourned this after- noon at 2:19 o'clock at the end of a oric two-year ses- sion. The House is expected to finish its last business momen- tarily. The new Congress con- venes January 6. WASHINGTON, Dec. 16. — Final | adjournment of the Seventy-seventh Congress after today's session was assured late - yesterday when the ! House approved of the adjourn- ment resolution previously adopted by the Senate. The action of the House signalled the end of any further controversial | legislntion The Washington, -Merry - Go-Round By DREW PEARSON (Major Robert S. Allen on active duty.) WASHINGTON-Members of the Senate Judiciary Committee heard a first-hand chapter on Gastapo meth- ods which they never dreamed exist- ed inside the United States when | they listened to the testimony of Gov. Ernest Gruening of Alaska the other day. Gov. Gruening told how 400 cen- | sorship employees operate in Seattle, reading all mail between Alaska and the United States, and how many of these letters, called “intercepts,” | are mimeographed and circulated to | 31 U. S. government offices, and four British agencies. The same censorship applies to| Puerto Rico and other territories of the United States, though they are supposed to enjoy the rights and advantages of being under the U. S. Government. Despite the manpower shortage, a total of 11,000 persons are reported to be engaged in open- ing and reading mail and circulating it around Government bureaus. Most letters are strictly private and between army officers and their wives, discussing plans for visiting each other. Some letters complain about the price of food, others about living conditions. One letter from a professor in Puerto Rico told how a Puerto Rican | politician had sent his wife to the United States and had taken a col- | ored mistress by whom he had three black ghildren, because he believed it politically wise to play in with the colored race. The letter stated that Governor Tugwell didn’t seem much concerned about the morals | of the politician. This letter was circulated to var- ious Government agencies and the British. WISE GENERAL BUCKNER Another letter from Gen. Simon 'Army Plane Missing in Alaska; Col. Davis, Eight Others Are Reporfed Lost TWOSSURVIVE PLANE CRASH, ARE INJURED Big Airliner Crashes Near| Salt Lake - Kills 17 Persons FAIRFIELD, Utan, vec. 16 | Two men are alive today, but seriously injured, after a crash of | a Western Alrlines transport which carried 17 others to their death near Utah Lake in the central part | fof the state. The two lay all night and until | after noon yesterday in the |wrecked plane which smashed jdown on the sagebrush-dotted floor of Cedar Valley, four miles from |an emergency airport and 50 mflew] ~ RELEASED ‘soulh of Salt Lake City. Taken to Lehi Hospital, |survivors are identified as A. J. | Mallett, Springfield, Ark., and |Lieut. A. F. Gardner of the Ma- .unes whose home is in Alexander, |New York | "Two other the officers aboard were Lieut. Thomas Baldwin, USN., Kellogg, Towa, and Lieut. McCrae, Army Air Corps, La- Grange, Illinois. They were among those killed. | The plane took off from Salt Lnke City shortly after 1 o'clock | yesterday morning, enroute to Los | Angeles, but never reported in by | radio. The wreckage was headed north, | indicating that Pilot Capt. Edward Loeffler, Glendale, Cal, was at- tempting to reach the emergency airport. crash, among them, Cleo. Booth, Los Angeles, the stewardess. | Lieut. Gardner said that he |crawled from the wreckage and “tried all night to get some blan- kets on me. I was freezing.” He | received a fractured leg and shoul- | der. | LES COOK, il 2 OTHERS ~ DIE, CRASH Les Cook, one of the best known Ipilots in this section of Alaska, and his two mechanics, Ken Mc- Lean and Don Dickson, were re- fcently killed at Whitehorse when |their Norseman plane crashed in a street and burst into flames. Only the body of McLean was pulled from the flaming inferno and the bodies of the others were inot taken out for some hours af- | terwards. ! The plane, at the time of the accident, was under contract to the U. S. Army and was making a test flight following engine ad- justment. The plane had only been in the air a few minutes when a forced landing became inevitable. | In the descent, the plane struck several trees and wires in the vi- cinity of the Whitehorse Hospital, ithen crashed on the main street near the home of I. Taylor. The plane immediately - burst flames. A military funeral was held at Whitehorse' for Les Cook and Don Dickson and the remains of Ken |where the widow resides. Services Held The service was conducted by (Continued on Page Four) [ ) (Continued on Page Two) B Hugh | Four women were victims of the| into | ‘Mcbean were shipped to Edmonton | ANCHORACF Aln:ka Dec. 16.— Col. Everett S. Davis and eight | | others have been missing since No- vember 20 on a routine flight, the | Alaska Defense Command head- quarters announces The announcement also that a search is underway for missing | Others in the missing plane sides Col. Davis, are: | Lieut. George W. Hinton | Lieut. James M. Noone Sergeant Herbert W. Dale Corporal Willlam Capuptkian Corporal Arthur W. Plum. Priv First Class Wallace L. Anderso | Private First Class H. Bomberg | Private First Class A. O, Jense. i Col. Davis was one of the first - | officers to come to Alaska to estab- | lish the Army Air Corps and was | regarded as one of the best Army pilots in the Territory. - states be- | te | BRITISH ~ PRISONERS French West Africa Show-| { ing What Coopera- tion Means WASHINGTON, Dec. 16. British internees in French West Africa have been released, it was learned today from an authorita- tive source. Word of this action by French authorities was received by the State Department and coincides | with broadcas from the Dakar radio to the effect that serious | differences between the Darlan Ad- | ministration in Africa and the British Government have been | clarified. | Said the Dakar radio report: “On |all frontiers the situation has been { completely clarified. No dispute | separates us any longer from the | British. Our task has been de- jrined, Henceforth we have only one iduty—to prepare and work for !the time when we will fight.” The radio emphasized French West Africa’s desire to cooperate with Eisenhower follows, in order to attain our great common goal. “The needs of the armies of the United States and its .Allies of French Africa must take prece- dence over all others.” It was announced last week that an agreement between French West Africa and the United States gives the United Nations the use of all ports and airfields and other facilities in the colony for the duration. ROY NOLAND IS BADLY BURNED BY ELECTRIC LINE Roy Noland, Superintendent of the Juneau-Douglas Telephone Com- pany, was taken to St. Ann's Hos- pital today, suffering from serious electrical burns received when he came in contact with a high tension line atop a pole at Ninth and E Streets. Noland had gone up the pole to repair a teiéphone line and became tangled with the high tension elec- | trical line, The current shot into his body, freezing him to the wires. A fellow workman, Roy Carrigan, All | around Noland’s shoulders and pull- | ed him free from the wire. Noland then came down the pole under his | own. power. He was burned severely on the left leg and right wrist. e BUY DEFENSE STAMPS the | climbed up the pole, threw a rope | 'NAZIS TAKE BACK SOME TERRITORY Germans Drive Wedge Through Russ Lines Near Stalingrad MOSCOW, Dec. 16 German units are smashing hard at the left wing of the Red Army southwest of Stalingrad. They are reported to have driven a wedge into the Rus- sian lines after mounting full-scale attacks, bolstered by tanks and planes, were hurled at the Reds Red Star, Soviet Army news- paper, reported that the Germans have struck heavily and rep edly at positions occupied only recently by Russians who have not had time to consolidate their positions. Dispatches from the front indi- | cated that the enemy advanced toward a river and along an im- portant road, their heavy artillery pounding out a path of advance for | them, their infantry pushing along in the wake of tanks. The Red Army's offensive on the Central Front northwest of Moscow, however, rolled steadily on through | the snow-covered forests which are studded with Nazi defenses Russian positions on this are roughly described as 190 miles west of Kalinin in the Velikie Luke region. Pravda, Russ news agency, said | that despite violent counter-attacks, several basic German defense points and mine fields west of the import- ant communications village of Rzhev have been captured by the Reds. R Thousands ~ Gel Boost ~ InSalary | s WASHINGTON, Dec. 16, — The House has unanimously passed and sent to the White House legislation raising the salaries of approximately 1,500,000 Federal civilian employees. e, GUARD PLATOONS MET LAST NIGHT The Alaska Territorial Guards met again last night, assisting the Civ- ilian Defense during the alert, by manning posts and patrolling the town. Captain George F. F burger announces that all members are urged to attend the meeting to- | morrow evening at 7:30 o'clock in | the, grade school auditorium to hear the lecture by Staff Sergeant Martin of the regular Army. The meeting tomorrow night will be the last this year because the next two Thurs- days fall on Chrlstmas and New Year's eve. Last night, after the all clear | signal sounded the Guard met at Ithe Elks’ Hall where new members | were instructed and Sgt. Henry Harmon gave instructions use of the rifle-sling on the firing line. A short informal lecture was given by Sgt. LeRoy Vestal on the sight- ing of a rifle for various distances in windy weather and how to de- termine the wind velocity and set- ting the wind gauge on the piece correspondingly. Lt. Hungerford stated that after the New Year, field work will begin for Platoon Three and that these meetings must be attended. A new man, Guardsman C. Rod- ney Nordling, took his oath last night and was admitted. He will be assigned to Platoon One. Capt. George F. Freeburger said that all members must be at the next meetir to be held in the grade school auditorium next Thurs- ! day at 7:30 in the evening, since it is unlikely there will be any more lectures given by Staff Rgt. Martin, of the regulary Army, this year, | since the two holidays intervene. BUY DEFENSE BONDS | in the Boston Cly lircmen inspect Uhe ruios near the bar swept through the establishment killing nearly 500 persons. front EXPECTTO FILE CHARGE ~ INSHOOTING Juneau Woman Still Held Many Fire Fighters Sent fo Says lakmg War Produc- After Firing Gun and | Wounding Husband A criminal charge was expected to be filed late this afternoon against Mrs. T. J. Scott, wife of a Juneau non-commissioned naval officer, who was seriously wounded Monday when he was shot with a gun held in her hand. Mrs. Scott has been held in jail since the day of the shooting while events surrounding the affair have been investigated by City Police, the FBI and the U. S. Marshal’s Office. Scott, a Navy veteran of 25 years of service, still is in a serious con- dition in St. Ann’s Hospital, but is given an even chance to recover. He was able to talk to officers yes- terday afternoon Mrs. Scott still claims that the shooting was an accident. Chief of Police B. H. Manery was called to the Scoft’s home at 618 Sixth Street late Monday afternoon to find Scott lying wounded and bleeding on the davenport. He said that Mrs. Scott told him the gun went off accident- ally in her hand. It was an old German revolver, part of her hus- band’s collection. Manery sent Scott to the hospital lin an ambulance and then pried the bullet out of the door sill where it had lodged after passing througha lamp shade and Scott's shoulder The Police Chief then took Mrs Scott into custody for questioning and called in U. 8. Deputy Marshal Walter Hellan and the FBI for a more detailed investigation. She has been repeatedly questioned since then but claims that the shooting was an accident. It is believed that the charge will be based upon .the husband’s testimony. | Scott formerly was stationed at San Diego. Lately he has been serv- ing under Lieut. Robert Schoettler in Juneau. At B S lone German Raider Kills Six in England | Oswald P. Miller, James Hall, Lloyd LONDON, Dec. 16.—At least six persons were killed and many others were injured late yesterday when a lone Gierman raider dropped a stick of high explosive bombs on the street of a small east coast town. it ts BUY DEFENSE BONDS | D. Thomas, Third Fire Hifs Boston In Month Hospital as Armory Burns s BOSTON, Mass.,, Dec. 16.—Bos- ton’s third disastrous fire of the month has sent more than 65 fire- men and Coast Guardsmen to hos- pitals and wrecked a five-siory armory building in the heart of the [ downtown shopping district The loss is estimated officially at “more than $300.000 and possibly as high as $1,000,000,” A detail of 160 seamen of the U S. Coast Guard was called to aid Boston firemen because the depart- ment has been hard hit by losses of its members recently as fire casualties and to the armed services. The upward rushing flame rapidly, fed- by illuminating escaping from two-inch basement feed pipe. Approximately 40 Coast Guards- | men and 29 firemen, inexperien in fire fighting, were and smoke inhalation B e FORTY - SIX LEAVE HERE FOR SOUTH for Pa Cetchikar: engers leaving Juneau by steamer yesterday L H. C. Prather, Lt. P. H Moen, Florence M. O'Shea and lary Jane O'Shea; for Seatlle Margaret Berge, Marie L arcld Snell, Kathleen Crossman, | idney A. Witner, Merle H. Whit Joe Williams, Bernard McConaghy, Jacol #reedman, Marion W. Taylor, ie Maclntyre, n Elvinga, Clairon Seevers, R Ostermann, R. W. Feldman, W. H n, G, F. Bronson, O. A. Filp J. J Porroch, Roy R. Wil ford, Clarks Morton, J. J. Martisee J. Handy, L. M. Hansen, Ear: Imbrecht. Clinton pula, Smith, George FErwine, Meldrem, J. C.: Snider, Roy M. Jones, Wayman Mcran, Merl Dill- man., Robert Cressey, Hershell Krei- der, Maurvin Schulman, E. Schear, Morton Abrabams, Russell Forrest Winters, of the Cocoanut Grove Night Club afier a tlash-fire gas | felled from | Les- | Joseph Docz, Mar- | n Jap Airbase NAZIWRECKS LITTER ROAD TO TRIPOLI British Eighth Army Is Re- porfed 100 Miles from £l Agheila LAND ACTION MIRED BY MUD IN TUNISIA But Amencans ShII Smash- ing af Enemy in Air Blows LONDON, Dec, 16.—The British Wighth Army, paced by Allied air fleets which have littered the road to Tripoli with the blasted wrecks of Field Marshal Erwin Rommel’s transport column, is reported today to be approaching Zauta en Nolilia, 100 air line miles west of El Aghella, ‘This report came from a compet- ent British military source. It indi- cated that since the break-through at El Agheila, the rate of advance |of the Eighth Army is exceeding that which it set after it cracked Rommel’s El Alamein line earlier in Egypt. | On the opposite side of the Allied ! squeeze oty the Axis” dwindling foot- hold in Africa, other strong forces of British and American planes are striking heavily at the enemy in Tunisia, Winter rains and sticky, brown mud. mired down the land front operations, making ground activities relatively quiet. . ‘With Rommel apparently unable or unwilling to shield his retreat except with delaying rear guard patrols, tne speed of the British pursuit is governed chiefly by the Eighth Army’s agility in picking its way through the maze of land mines which Rommel has left behind and by the flow of supplies. e JAPANESE RACKED BY BOMB FIRE Reinforcement Atfem pt Met by Barrage-Barges Are Wrecked PATTERSON CRITICIZES NEW PLAN tion from Army May Lose War WASHINGTON, Dec. 16.—Under- secretary of War Robert P. Patter- son charged today that the removal of the production of military weap- |ons and supplies from the control of the armed forces might result in losing the war. . ! He descrived as “fantastic” re- | port ts that the Army is seeking to um!ml the nation’s civilian econ- ‘um) in a statement hefore the Tru- | man Committee. investigating xm- ‘ tional defense | Patterson said the supply of muni- ! tions is a continuous process “from | the drafting board to the scrap pile” | with the armed forces being the | only outfits knowing what is needed and the only ones competent to direct this production. On the other hand, he added, the Army and Navy supply services | Never have been closely concerned | SOMEWHERE IN NEW GUI- | with the development and produc- 'NEA, Dec. 16-—Jap troops have | tion of raw materials and the con- landed northwest of Allled-occu- [ trol. over supply of such materials pied Gona and Buna in a new re- \s been “properly placed under the inforcement attempt, but Allied civilian agency, the War Production Headquaiters announced today that Board. the Japanese' already torn ranks At almost the same time, CIO are under a reluge of bombs and President Phillip Murray called pyllets and the “entire area is again for the creation Of an OVer- girewn with derelict barges and all civilian body to control war wreckage along with enemy dead.” production and to “cut through the = , communique says our troops quagmire of vested interests.” hare, TR Roavy Drodete a He favors legislation to create an ., = o0 0 "o other sectors: Office of War Mobilization and chargrs that ‘the 7Bmall Businets| ~Suls Mission, apd otber Dostie Committee, United States Steel Cor- [POINts still are held by the Japs anese and are being attacked. poration, and Republic Steel are 8 guilty of wasting nickel, that the| It 18 believed that perhaps a thousand Japs managed to reach | Small Business Committee projected an armor plate plant at Gary, In- shore in the jatest reinforcement attempt. diana, which would eliminate the | many small steel companies which have saved the armor plate pro- gram, e A Greyvhound bus has arrived in Whitehorse for the Northwest Ser- vice Command, making the trip along the new Alcan Highway from Edmonton in 48 hours. - - :FIow of Steel fo " Improve Nexi Year } OTTAWA, Dec. 16—There wlill be no let-up of work in Canadian shipyards during the year 1943, an official of the Wartime Shipping; stated. Increased flow of steel aft the new year will keep all yar working at capacity. - Shoppin ifla 5 “fl?‘@flnstfims BUY DEFENSE STAMPS