The Daily Alaska empire Newspaper, May 29, 1951, Page 1

CONGRESSIONAL LIBRARY WASHINGTON, D. € TH ——-. VOL. LXXVIII, NO. 11,822 Fighting Forc In Memoriam NORTH POLE AIR FLIGHT UNDERWAY Capt. B|aimying from Oslo with Fairbanks as Destination OSLO, Norway, May 20 —(P—Air- liner Cap.t Charles Blair set out for a planned non-stop solo flight over the North Pole today in the con- verted P-51 Mustang Fighter in which he set the non-stop New York to London record last January 31. Fairbanks, Alaska, is his destina- tion. Carrying the first polar airmail— 3,000 letters — Blair took off from Oslo’s Gardermoen Air Base. He planned to land at Bardu, in north- ern Norway, for refueling this after- noon, then leave immediately on the non-stop hop of 3,300 miles across the top of the world. Blair, 41-year-old Pan American Airways veteran from Port Wash- ington, N. Y. again is flying the Excalibur III, the single seated fighter in which four months ago he crossed the Atlantic in seven hours and 48 minutes. That hop smashed - all records for the New York to London crossing. The letters he carried today will be auctioned in New York for the benefit of the Damon Runyon Can- cer fund. Fairbanks to N.Y. From Fairbanks, Blair plans to fly non-stop to New York. Blair took off from Oslo at 10:19 am. (2:19 am. PDT) and was duel, to leave 'Bardu at 3:30 p.m. (7:30 am, PDT). He said he expected to make the hop to Fairbanks in 10 hours. Due to international time changes, that would make his watch read an hour earlier on landing than it does on the Bardu takeoff — 2:30 p.m. Alas- ka time (5:30 p.m. PDT). Blair plans to cross the North Pole at an altitude of 25,000 feet. Just before leaving Oslo, he said he had a revolver and some food in case he had to make an emerg- ency landing in the Polar region. No Contact—7 Hours He will be out of radio contact with the world for about seven hours. Blair, tall, dark and married, has been flying for nearly a quarter of a century since he learned the art of jockeying a fighter plane in the U. S. Navy in 1928. He has 17,500 hours to his credit and has flown more than 3,000,000 miles. His fire engine red fighter has been dubbed the “Flying Gas Tank.” He bought it after the war and had extra tanks installed in the wings and body so it holds 865 gallons of high octane fuel. Blair said he spent $25,000 buying and modifying the plane. V-Type Engine The Excalibur is powered by a 12 cylinder V-type engine built by Packard from Rolls Royce designs. The engine is liquid cooled and de- velops about 1,700 horsepower. It saw much service in both British and American warplanes during World War IL In his solo flight over the At- Jantic last January Blair, pushed by G Py e SIS S GRS (Cootinued on Page Two) The Washington Merry - Go- Bound By DREW PEARSON (Copyright, 1961, by Bell Synaicate, Inc.. (Editor’s note—Today Drew Pear- son writes another column on an amazing scandal inside the RFC.) ASHINGTON. — It has been kept under lock and key for four years, but a Senate report has been suppressed that would have blown the 1lid off the politics-ridden Re- construction Finance Corporation in July, 1947. Ironically, the Sen- ators who bottled up this sensa- tional report are the same ones who are now crying loudest against the RFC. This column has now obtained a secret copy of the long-suppressed report. It tells how the great Bal- timore & Ohio railroad system bor- rowed $87;000,000 from the govern- ment and, instead of paying it (Continued on Page Four) via (# Wirephoto.) LAST UNCLIMBED | MOUNTAIN PEAK FINALLY SCALED FAIRBANKS, Alaska, May 29 — (M— Five University of Alaska stu- dents have conquered one of Alas- ka’s last unclimbed mountain peaks. Dr. Terris Moore, University pres dent, says the successful assault on 12,300-foot Mount Hess overlooking Tanana Valley near Fairbanks was made last week. It took the students 18 hours to reach the summit of the mountain, ! frequently described as Alaska's Matterhorn, but weather conditions on the steep slopes delayed their return for two days, Dr. Moore said. The University president brought back news of the climb from the base camp at Portage Creek, where he landed in his own plane. He said the mountain-tamers were Russell Paige, 22, Grand Junc- tion, Colo.; Edgar Huizar, 27, Peters- burg, Alaska; Howard Bowman, 23, Lake Clark, Alaska; Richard Hol- dren, Jr., 29, Mendota, Ill, and Elton Thayer, 23, Fairbanks. SCHOOL, CITY BANDS T0 PRACTICE TONIGHT FOR MEMORIAL DAY A quick call has been issued to members of the Juneau Public school band and City Band for a practice tonight at 7:30 o'clock in | call is made to ascertain if a large delegation of musicians can be formed to play for the Memorial day parade and services at the dock and cemetery. The practice tonight will be a short one and only marches will be played. It is the belief that the musicians of both organizations will show up tonight for the brief prac- tice and then make appearance to- morrow in the Memorial Day par- ade. Bandsmen of both organizations who because of the sudden call have made previous engagements for tonight are asked to be at the grade school auditorium Wednes- day morning not later than 10:15 o'clock. Bandsmen are asked to wear their uniforms but those who have none are to show up anyway. Joyce Hope is in charge of the arrangements and she will have her majorettes also ready for the parade. i | TO ANCHORAGE Ernest Lincoln, -director of the Veterans Administration here, left Sunday for Anchorage on a routine field inspection trip. He expects to be gone three or four days. i NO EMPIRE WEDNESDAY The Empire will not publish to- morrow, Memorial Day, but any world events of importance will be bulletined. the Grade School auditorium. The | | | FANNY BRICE ANSWERS LAST ¥ HOLLYWOOD, May 28 —®— Comedienne Fanny Brice died at 11:15 a.m., PST, today, five days after suffering a cerebral hemor- rhage. Miss Brice, born Fannie Borach on New York's East Side, was b9. The end came a few hours after Miss Brice, the “Baby S8nooks” of radio, took a turn for the worse last night. She had been in a coma and under an oxygen tent most of the time since suffering the hem- orrhage at her home last Thursday. Miss Brice’s two children, William Brice and Frances Stark, were at her bedside when she died. Miss Brice hit fame and fortune twice in her long comic career. She was a big hit in the Ziegfield Fol- lies of the 1920s. Then, after one not so successful fling at radio, she began the “Baby Snooks” charac- ter in 1936. It had been a radjo comedy standby ever since. SPORTSMEN INC. WILL CONTINUE GRAYLING PLANTING PROJECT A grayling transplanting project started last wall by the Territorial Sportsmen, Inc., will be continued early next month, it was decided at a meeting of the board of directors at the home of Simpson MacKinnon Monday evening. The organization originally appropriated $2,500, of which only $500 has been used, Through the cooperation of the Alaska Department of Fisheries and the Fish and Wildlife Service the project was successfully launched last fall. C. L. Anderson, director of the ADF, was present and a dis- cussion of lakes to be planted took place. Kathleen and Upper Golding Lakes were believed to be barren and satisfactory for the grayling. It was decided to investigate sev- eral other lakes also. Henry Harmon Wwas elected to represent the Sportsmen on the ex- pedition. Kid Trout Derby It was announced that arrange- ments had been made with the Juneau Young and the Thomas Hardware stores to handle the weighing-in of the trout for the junior trout derby for youngsters which will be sponsored by the Sportsmen. The derby is to begin July 1 and suitable awards have been arranged for the skillful ang- lers. Each contestant is to receive a brassard when he or she signs up for the event. Registration books will be at the%two hardware stores the last week in June, “ALL'THE NEWS ALL’ THE TINE® E DAILY "ALASKA EMP K JUNEAU, ALASKA, TU ESDAY, MAY 29, 1951 MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS PRICE TEN CENTS es Gaining OBSERVATION OF MEMORIAL DAY 8Y TALK, CEREMOMIES Final plans for the Mem parade tomorrow are with dock-side and grave- monies in honor of those wh their lives to keep America 5 The high school and city B are to report to the grade $ gym tonight at 7:30 for a pri tice before the parade. % The parade forms at the ll%l tomorrow morning at 10:45 ‘witl ceremonies starting at 11. Jim Bru- nette, commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, will initiate; the ceremonies with a short talk'ifol- lowed by a prayer by Rev, ‘Walter Soboleff, A wreath of flowers il be placed on the watér by “B g Suhrbier. A volley is to be fired by the National Guard drill team, then taps will be sounded. Following taps, the parade leaves the subport area going aver Wil- loughby to Seward and up Fourth street to halt at the Federal build- ling. The band will play two marches. J. Simpson MacKinnon will de- | 1iver a Memortal Day address at the ! Federal building. The parade then proceeds along Calhoun avernue to Evergreen cemetery for grave-side ceremonies. At the cemetery, Major Light and shadow play an important role as two soldiers kneel to | Eric Nwbould, Salvation Army, will place wreath_on tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery, Va., fof Memorial Day, 1951. (Department of Defense photo give a prayer in the grave-side ob- servations. The National Guard dl team will fire a volley followed With a wreath placed on a grave. Teis will be sounded and the parade wifl be dismissed. s Units in the order of their marc:.- ing in the parade are: Natioyial Guard drill team; band; Headquart- ers, Headquarters and Service €., 208th Infantry = Battalion, Alegia Na 2] Ch ; Headquarters mmfia”mfimchrfiem; Al National Guard; massed colors of the veterans organizations; Veterans of Foreign Wars; American Legion posts of Juneau and Auk Bay; Wo- men of the Moose drill team; Fili- i pino Community and the Girl é Scouts. | ,,19 MINERS ENTOMBED; . EXPLOSION | EASINGTON, England, May 29— (P— A violent explosion entombed 79 miners early today deep in the Eas- ington coal pit. Hours later rescuers recovered eight bodies and brought one injured man to the surface. .Teams of rescuers toiled in non- stop shifts to move tons of rocks and debris shaken loose by the blast 900 feet underground in hopes of rescuing alive the 70 .men still trapped. By early afterneon rescue parties had driven through more than 300 yards of debris. Mining offictals said the coal face, where it is believed the majority of men are trapped, was anotljer 700 yards away. Fresh air was being forced thru neighboring seams in hopes it would filter through to the men. The violent blast blew two men clear of the tumbling debris. One said he was lifted and tossed 60 yards down the tunnel. Another said he was thrown 20 to 30 yards. The explosion caught the miners just as the day shift was relieving night workers about a mile and one- quarter from the bottom of the pit hoisting shaft. RS e o o 0o 0 0 0 0 0 WEATHER REPORT Temperature for 34-Hour Period ending 6:20 o'clock this morning In Juneau — Maximum, 63; minimum, 43. At Airport — Maximum, 63; minimum, 39. FORECAST Mostly cloudy tonight with Jowest temperature near 45 deg., becoming partly cloudy with highest temperature near 58 deg., Wednesday. PBECIPITA’I‘ION «(Past 24 hours ending 7:30 a.m. toda: City of Juneau — None; Since May 1 — 381 inches; Since July 1 — 7186 inches. At Airport — Trace; Since May 1 — 2.4 inches; Since July 1 — 4141 inches. i Tt B o o @e0ecceccscsceccsestocee 0000000000000 00000%°0000 URGES SENATE RESTORE CUT ALASKA FUND WASHINGTON, May 20 — (B — Senator Magnuson (D-Wash) said today he has urged the Senate Ap- propriations committee to approve the full $10,000,000 requested by the Interior Department to-carry out a public works program in Alaska. He told a reporter he had ap- peared before the Senate committee to urge reinstatement of $3,000,000 cut from th public works item by the House. The $10,000,000 allocation for matching funds is decidedly neces- sary, the senator said, if housing and othet faollities ‘dre to be pro- vided for personnel needed in con- nection with Alaska’s defense proj- ects. Buiidup Slowed “The buildup in population in Alaska is being slowed and health is being endangered in many in- are not suitable public utilities available. “We all know we can’t have hous- ing without light, water and sew- age. disposal. And yet we are ex- pecting the cities and communities of Alaska to provide housing for soldiers and airmen, and defense workmen, when the utilities are just not available because money is not available.” He said Fairbanks was one of “many examples” Wwhere builders lack the utilities needed for any housing development. Minimum Requirement Referring to the $10,000,000 as 3 “minimum” requirement, Magnuson asserted: “Any reduction even though seemingly small results in one or two fewer schools, one or two towns without a safe water supply.” The House, in slashing the $3,- 000,000 from the appropriation, ac- cepted its committee recommenda- tion that the program be held to only those projects in Wwhich the sponsors have qualified and have participating funds ready to put the project in effect. WILLIAM E. TARR PASSES ON TODAY William E. Tarr, 71, died in his room i nthe apartments over Swan- son’s Store early this morning. He had been in ill health for a number of years. The remains are at the Carter miortuary pending funeral arrangements. | Tarrwasa veteran of the Spanish- | American war and Tom Mix of the movies was his sergeant. Tarr came has been a resident of Juneau for 40 years. Survivors are sons Woodrow and Eugene, of Juneau; Edgar in Los Angeles; . three daughters, Dolores in Kenneydale, Wash.; Gloria In | Portland, Ore, and Ruth Hill in Los Angeles. C. A. Bower of Pelican is at the Baranof Hotel, to Alaska about 45 years ago and‘ A\MEMORIAL DAY ¥ ROBERTA RICH OF KETCHIKAN 1S BPWC PRESIDENT Territorial “Biennial Con- venfion Ends Sessions Here with Installation stances,” Magnuson said, “because | MRS. CECELIA GALEY Installing Officer at BPWC Meet Here Roberta Rich, Ketchikan, is the new President of the Alaska Fed- eration of Business and Professional Women's Clubs, elected by delegates from all Alaska clubs at a conven- tion meeting in the Baranof hotel Monday afternoon. Mrs. Rich succeeds Miss Ruth McGrew of Anchorage, who has completed her two-year term of ofiice. Other officers elected for the coming biennium were Lucille Johnson, Juneau, First Vice Presi- dent; Esther Gustaffson, Fairbanks, Second Vice President; Miriam McKechnie, Petersburg, and Teresa Cordell, Secretary. Mrs. Galey Installs The new officers were installed Monday night at a banquet at the Country Club, with Mrs. Cecelia P. Galey, Sweet Home, Ore., National Legislative Chairman, as installing officer. Miss McGrew presided at the banquet Monday and introduced Dr. Grace Field, speaker of the even- ing, whose talk, of course, had to do with women and their place in the world. “If our own community is not a safe place to live in, then the world cannot be safe,” sald Dr. Field. She told the story of the woman in politics who returned home after an absence and bragged to her husband that “our party is sweep- ing the country.” Only to be asked by her husband, “Why not start py sweeping the dining room.” Women “Too Smart” Ketchikan, iness; building a community in which homes can carry out their responsibility of character building, is also a woman’s business, she said, and quoted, also, “Sure its a man’s world. The women are too smart to want it.” As the banquet ended gifts of b | i § 4 VANDENBERG IS UNDER FIRE OF SENATO Hickenlooper Accuses General of Criticising Korean War-Policy WASHINGTON, May 29 — (A — Gen. Hoyt 8. Vandenberg, testify- ing in the Senate’s MacArthur in- quiry, came under sharp fire today from Senator Hickenlooper (R-Ia) who declared that Vandenberg has been just as critical of Korean pol- icy as Gen. Douglas MacArthur ever was. Hickenlooper said it raised the question whether Vandenberg should resign or be removed as Air Force Chief of Staff. Vandenberg in return denied that he had disagreed with any United Nations policy as to Korea. He acknowledged writing in a magazine article last March that U. 8. air power was made just about useless “when the UN in an effort to avoid a diplomatic rupture with the Chinese Communists halted of- fensive action at the Yalu river.” But he told Hickenlooper: “I was explaining a result from military action. I was not advocat- ing it.” Says Comments Critical Hickenlooper contended that Van- denberg’s comments, published in “Air Force” magazine, together with other statements he said he would produce later, were “just as critical of UN policy . . . as anything that General MacArthur ever said.” On yesterday, Vandenberg said that as a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff he concurred in the decision that MacArthur should be Treasurer | relieved. Defends Statement Vandenberg said his published statement “is factual when you con- sider the point of time of which I was talking.” “At that time,” he said, “the UN forces were up close to the Yalu. There was very little distance be- tween the Yalu and the front line where air power could operate against them, and I was simply making a factual statement that when that condition occurs, your jair power is relatively ineffective.” | Earlier, Vandenberg had testified it was made clear to MacArthur that a Joint Chiefs of Staff study last January — embracing some points of MacArthur's proposed Korean strategy — was only a tentative thing. He said that as he recalls he and Gen. J. Lawton Collins, Army Chief of Staff, made that clear on a visit to Tokyo. Maintain Air Force Fighting crime is a woman's bus- [ Gen. Vandenberg als odeclared the United States must maintain an Air Force able to destroy Russia's air power “and destroy it promptly.” He described the U. 8. Air Force as the “big stick,” or at least the “fairly large club” guarding the world against a new global war. ivory were presented to Mrs. Galey, (Continued on Page TWO) But he said the present force may become only a “willow wand” as (Con'.Tm:;J ;n ;ue Two) More Korean Control » REDS ARE FIGHTING BITTERLY Stubborn Baftles Rage North of Parallel- Allies Stalled By Associated Press South Korean troops stabbed for- ward a dozen miles Tuesday agalnst little or no opposition to seize the east coast port of Kansong, 26 miles inside North Korea. Other UN forces on the Central front gained control of an import- ant ridge overlooking the escape route for thousands of Korean and Chinese Reds at the eastern end of the Hwachon Reservoir. The Allies were within four miles southeast of Yanggu on the last _[ ridgeline leading to that strategic town. The Reyg fought bitterly to delay thé Allied troops on the mountain- ous Central front but gains of as much as 4,500 yards (almost three miles) were scored by powerful Al- lied tank and artillery-supported task forces. Division Wiped Out Two Chinese divisions were wiped out in a four-day battle in the Cen- tral front, south of the 38th Par- allel, The U, 8. 8th Army said the Chinese lost 18,000 men -- killed wounded or captured — in the single - ttle. Smaller, but equally stubborn fights ' raged m m " limited gains. Stiffest action W«s in the center of the peninsula where UN troops tried to seal off all Hwachon Reservoir, South Korean troops were strung along the south bank of the reser- voir about four miles east of the damsite, U, 8. Marines were on the western end. American infantrymen fighting through strong opposition gained one mile Tuesday in thelr drive to reach its eastern end. A delayed and heavily censored dispatch from AP Correspondent Tom Bradshaw said a powerful UN task force bogged down Monday northeast, of Inje. Smell of Dead Flesh “Allied casualties in Inje itself were heavy,” Bradshaw reported. Reds poured sporadic fire from the surrounding hills into the town — “g leveled area of mud huts inter- spersed with dead Chinese and horses.” “The ungodly smell of dead flesh” hung over Inje. “And along the streets of the town lay bodies of Chinese Communists so battered by the passing vehicles that®hey could hardly be recognized as human beings.” B Bradshaw reported the task force had rumbled across the bodies in the night “with a dull crunching of human bones.” In two costly spring offenses that have failed, the Chinese have paid the price of 150,000 caswalties. The Allied forces have won back most Yot the territory taken in the Reds’ second smash southward. STOCK QUOTATIONS NEW YORK, May 29 — Closing quotation of Alaska Juneau mine stock loday is 2%, American Can 110%, American Tel. and Tel. 156'%, Anaconda 42%, Douglas Aircraft 48%, General Electric 531, General Motors 49%, Goodyear 782, Kenne- cott T3%, Libby, McNeill and Libby 87%, Northern Pacific 40% , Standard Oil of California 45, Twentieth Cen- tury Fox 19, U. S. Steel 41, Pound $2.80, Canadian Exchange 93.75. Sales today were 1,190,000 shares. Averages today were as follows: Industrials 248.72, rails 79.02, utilities 42.25. STEAMER MOVEMENTS Prince George with Portland Jour- nal tour party aboard scheduled to arrive at 4:15 this afternoon. _Princess Louise from Vancouver scheduled to arrive at 7:30 tonight, sailing at 11:45 for Skagway and returning southbound Friday. Baranof scheduled to sail from Seattle Friday. . Denali scheduled to arrive Sunday southbound.