Evening Star Newspaper, March 27, 1931, Page 17

WITH SUNDAY MORNING EDITION he Foening Star ‘WASHINGTON, STRONGER 8:HOUR TUCKER RECALLED LAW FOR WOMEN IN| AS HOTEL GUEST D. C, FRIDAY, MARCH 27, 1931 PAGE B-1 PENDULUM DEVIGE 0001 OF A SECOND STAFF OF DOCTORS FOR SCHOOLS HERE | Fire Chief Hates to Quit FIFTY YEARS GOAL OF CHIEF NICHOLSON, 68. Seeks New Conquests *BYRD HONORED BY SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION. l ETERAN of a thousand fires, URGED BY KRAMER Present System of Medical Supervision Inadequate, He Declares. HEALTH STUDY COURSE ALSO PROPOSED IN CITY Physical Training Is Called Great Need—Projected System Outlined. ‘The present medical supervision af- forded public schools by the District Health Department should be replaced by a regular medical staff under juris- diction of the Board ofsEducation, Ste- phen E. Kramer, first assistant superin- tendent of schools, believes. Mr. Kramer elaborated today upon the brief address he delivered at the meeting of the Early Diagnosis Com- mittee of the Society for the Prevention of Tuberculosis recently at the Y. W. C. A. Building. In that talk Mr. Kramer fimphuled a four-year major course in ealth education in the public schools in the near future. Course Is Defined. ‘This course, Mr. Kramer declared, would include, 1, physical training; 2, hygiene; 3, health attitude develop- ment: 4, economics of health, and, 5, social relation. It would be adminis- tered with the same regard now center- ing major academic courses. “This kind of program, however, can- hot be presented in our schools,” Mr. Kramer asserted today, “unless we are Rear Admiral Richard E. Byrd ex-, pects to continue his explorations into | the Arctic and Antarctic regions and, | though he is not ready to announce definite plans for his next expedition until the scientific work in connection with his South Polar trip is completed, he indicated today that his mind is turning to another trip to the vast unexplored Antarctic regions. “I want to keep on with the work of exploration in the cold areas,” Admiral Byrd said today during a visit to the National Capital to receive the Langley going to be given a medical staff to examine the pupils and recommend cor- rective exercises and such other ad- vantageous treatment as the schools with their gymnasiums are in a position to provide. What we need most of all is an adequate staff of physiclans and nurses responsible to the Board of Education to put over this work for us.” Asked whe the Health school officer do‘e- nlgl. * Department,” he ex plained, “has neithe the staff for worl of such proportions nor the adminis- trative to attempt it. The only ‘e Those' ecommended Tor i by o or_ it their teachers, who, at best, are able ‘e’u,!udn apparent needs only by such evidence as weight which is apparent to laymen.” In support of his contentions, Mr. Kramer cited work now being done in the child health field for the school children of Atlanta, Ga., where, he said, Dr. Willlam Sutton, superintendent of schools, was able to force the school board wnrmmhmey on’ p“l;yllul, edu-~ . Dr. Tecen! mflhuo{dufimghu suécess- the funds allocaied ienciing oF for the teaching of Latin and i u i -.i“l:flfllfimtuthnofl “Prephring for Coffins.” Dr. Sutton argued that it is better to :n M*.lnu-gnu 0 m' in respon: 5 :"g: the argument: .i: reducing for nc:'a:mu: subjects might lessen a to fit i for college meant, too ofte; "przm children for mfltfis‘ 2 The Star carried a statement last Sat- urday to the effect that local school officers were considering establishing compulsory physical education as a ‘major subject.” Since the appearance | of that article, Mr. Kramer has received several comments of approval. Banning, editorial director of the Public Utilities Fortnightly and the father of & 14-year-old pupil in the public schools here, was the first of the parents to come to Mr. Kramer's support. He wrote Mr. Kramer, “not only to assure you of my very sincere commen- dation of your plans, but of my yery, ;:nex::iy d:s.l;e'lw co-operate with you' thin my powers Fou platé datw ettect > e r. G. Harris White, dire - sical trzining in the lcho:‘l::frl!:{)peza among the persons responding to the suggestion. He recommended that the term “physical education” be changed to “health egucation.” Recognition that health education should be “conceived as an organized program,” Dr. White declared, has come during the past 15 Class Room Instruction. “This program,” Dr. White continued, id include class room instruction, physical education and medical super- vision, correlated to promote the max- imum of health and vigor for the child at the moment and cultivate an effi- clent health consciousness that will kR&:p" him, in the future, a healthy citi- ‘While Mr. Kramer had recommended that the major course in physical edu- cation should embrace a minimum of three regular study periods a* week, Dr. White believes that four such periods would be more acceptable. SEEKS TO ADMINISTER ESTATE OF MRS. LEE Son Applies for Letters After | Woman Is Killed in Auto Crash. ‘Thomas Davis Lee, t! h Attorney Wilton J. Lambert, today filed n the District Supreme Court an application for ancillary letters of administration on the estate of his mother, Mrs. Grace Davis Lee, who was killed January’ 18, in an sutomobile accident in Arizona. Mrs. Lee was & daughter of Henry Gassaway Davis of West Virginia, one time Democratic nominee for the vice presidency, and a sister of Mrs. Stephen B. Elkins. The petition sets forth that Mrs. Lee died intestate, leaving &s her heirs Mrs. Bruce Lee Johnson, Thomas Davis Lee, Henry Davis Lee and Arthur Lee; that she owned the premises at 1708 Massachuesetts avenue, now occupied by ‘the Turkish legation, assessed at $64,000, and had household effects of $10,000. Her debts here will not ex- ceed $7,000' the court was informed. Mr. Lee explains he was appointed Medal for Aerodromics and to be ele- vated from the rank of officer to that of commander of the I'rench Legion of Honor. “I enjoy working in the cold areas rather than in the warmer regions, and there is yet much to be done in the Arctic and Antarctic,” he said. Siberian Area Cited. Valuable scientific results might be obtained from a flight from Siberia across the North Pole, which would cover an area regarding which very little is known, Admiral Byrd said. The area east of Little America, his base on the South Polar expedition, also should be explored, he believes, to deter- mine whether there is a continent there. ‘The youthful admiral also believes that another expedition should be sent to Little America to check on changes in the barrier ice after a period of two years or more, to determine what move- ments are taking place there. One of the members of his Antarctic expedition, George A. Thorne, surveyor, is abous to undertake .a trip. of . ex- ploration into unknown areas of Vene- Admiral Byrd said. He explajned that there still remain large areas there of which little or nothing is known and expressed. the belief that the Thorne ex- pedition would yield valuable results. Many Seek to Go. ‘The scientific work in connection with the Seuth Polar expedition is progres- l!llg #‘cmfly. the admiral said. “I have been making plans for my next expedition,” he said, “but I do not think it would be good taste to say any- thing about them until we have made good on our pledges to complete the ‘work of the last expedition.” He confessed that.he is being literal- ly swamped with applications of volun- teers who want to accompany him on his n:xt expedition. where he lectured last night, he said a 17-year-old boy waited all day at his hotel to see him and finally the admiral noticed him after the boy had followed him to a restaurant. Byrd beckoned the youth, who eagerly requested per- mission to join the next expedition. The admiral could give the boy little en- couragement, however. Admiral Byrd expressed the belief that the base at Little - America still remains in fairly good condition. He said he thinks the radio towers still are standing and that the expedition’s planes probably are in geod shape, .as there would be no Tust cr corrosion in the intense cold of the Antarctic. In Norfolk, Vl<.1‘ 'y medal today. Left to right: Charles DMIRAL BYRD, receiving Langle: A G. Abbot, secretary of the Smithsonian Institution; Chief Justice Charles Evans Hughes and Admiral Richard E. Byrd. —=Star Staff Photo. of presentation from notes which he jotted down this morning in the open cockpit of a Navy observation plane en route from Hampton Roads Naval Air Station to the Anacostia Naval Air Sta- tion. In speech of acceptance Admiral Byrd predicted \that aviation will reach a stage of development of which its ploneers never even dreamed. He thanked Justice Hughes warmly for support given during the period of preparation for the Astarctic expedition. The medal, Admiral Byrd said, could not accept as “an individual and per- sonal matter.” “In honoring me,” he said, “you honor tiae whole expedition, and so every member of it. I accept this honor, therefore, as thejr representative and I shall communicd{e with all the men in my command and pass on this honor to them.” Aviation, he sald, must go forward by a process of evolution. For a while, he said, aviation was pushed too fast and s0 suffered, but now the evoluticn seems to be going forward in proper steps. Becaus: space is unlimited, however, he sald the evolution of aviation has fewer limits than ground-held things and so eventually may progress to an un- dreamed-of stage of development. ‘The award of the Langley medal, gresented today, was mide to Admiral yrd in December, 1929, scon after his flight to the South Pole. President Hoover was represented at today's cere- mony by his secretary, Walter Newton. Attending the presentation were Sena- tors Swanson of Virginia and Robinscn of Arkansaes, former Representative R. Walton , Moore of Virginia, Admiral Walter Gherardi, David S. Ingalls, As- sistant Secretary of the Navy for Aero- nautics; Capt. John Towers, acting chief of the Bureau of Aeronautics, and Dr. George W. Lewis, research director of the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics. » < Luncheon at Embassy. < P Following the ~presentation Admiral Byrd was taken to the French embassy for a luncheon given in his honor by the. French Ambassador, Paul Claudel. After- the luncheon the Ambassador was to confer on Byrd the Cross of Com- mander of.the Legion of Honor, which was received at the embassy by Charles A. Lindbergh last January. Leaders in American avaition and governmental circles were to be guests at_the Juncheon and presentation. “The two medals presented to Admiral Byrd here today add to the decorations conferred upon him by all the nations in recognition of its achievements. He now has so many coveted medals and decorations that he cannot remember their total. Members of his party say that the number is somewhere between 75 and 100. Tonight Adriiral Byrd is to give an illustrated lecture on his South Polar expedition at the National Geographic Society headquarters to members of the | society and ~ their friends. He will | show motion pictures which never be- fore have been seen in Washington. Following tonight's lecture he is to « “Bay of Whales Data. One of the tasks of the expedition was an exacting survey of the Bay of said. For scientific reasons, few years to check on this survey and see what changes have taken place in the apparently immovable barrier. “Such a resurvey,” he said, “should yield up the mystery of the barrier, which was a source of bewllderment to the scientists of the expedition in some respects.” Admiral Byrd received the Langley medal from the hands of Chief Justice Charles Evans Hughes, chancellor of the Smithsonian Institution, before a distinguished gathering in the great hall of the Smithsonian this morning. In presenting the medal the Chief Justice said to Admiral Byrd: “Your investigatioris in' connection with the sclence of aviation have included se- vere tests of aeroplanes, their navigat- ing instruments and the possibilities of using them for gzographical explo- rations. In these enterprises you have made the non-stop west-east passage of the Atlantic, the first non-stop flight to the North Pole and the first non- stop flight to th: South Pole. You have explored and photographed great regions of the globe hitherto unseen by man.” The medal, which has been awarded to but six other men, was given to Admiral Byrd, Mr. Hughes said, in recognition of his “outstanding in- vestigations relating to the application of the sclence of aerodromics to geographical exploration.” Admiral Byrd replied to the address Whales, where the base is located, he | he said, | an’ expedition should go back after a | leave for Boston and then will begin a week's vacation, which he probably will spend at home in Virginia. Paying Off Old Debt. | Since last October, Admiral Byrd | has been going virtually without inter- | ruption on his lecture tour of America | to raise funds for paying off the in- | debtedness of the South Polar expedi- tion. This tour he laughingly refers to as “the expedition of the United States.” The tour, however, is proving successful, he said, and he now has sufficient funds available to pay off the Following his vacation he expects to resume his lecture tour, which will be | concluded in May. The lecture tour | has presented very real hardships, the admiral confessed. It has been a hard physical grind and has given him little time to rest, to keep up his work or to handle his correspondence. The members of his United States ex- pedition are Leo McDonald, business manager; Willlam A. Bernrieder, per- sonal assistant, and Samuel Trow, tech- nician. The admiral has not held to- gether any of his expeditionary force and will bave to bulld his new force from the ground up for his next trip of exploration. The Antarctic headquarters ship, City of New York, which carried the expedition into the Bay of Whales, is on the way to the National Capital and is expected to reach here tomorrow or Sunday, Admiral Byrd said. The fa- mous vessel, containing the equipment used in the Antarctic, will be cpened to the public during its stay here, which is | to be for an indefinite period. Horticultural Chief Reports If the present good weather continues administrator of the estate Febuary 4, by the County Court of West Virginia and has given a bond of $75,000. " NURSE TURNS IN LIQUOR Ten, Cases of Liquor Delivered to Wrong Address Here. Some bootlegger had delivered 10 of liguor to the wrong address, Miss, Beryl Bertram of the 1000 of Euclid street, a nurse at Gar- Hospital, knew what to do when » Miss Bertrem told the police znd had Lae stufl confiscated. the single-blossom cherry trees around the Tidal Basin will make a good show- ing about April 1 and will be bloom by Easter Sunday, April 6, Charles Henlock, chief of the Horticul- tural Division of the Office of Public Bulldings and Public Parks, said today. As yet there is scarcely any hint of blossoms, but the trees are faring well and the buds are bursting, Mr. Henlock, who is also_the White House gardener, asserted. Recent frosty nights have held back the unfolding of the blos- soms. ‘The yellow jasmine in East Potomac Park has long or three days the forsythia will bé out, asserted. Mr. Henlock b Near the Tourists’ Camp, In Potomac DISTRICT ISURGED] - AT MURDER DATE Clearer Definition of Groups Affected and Separate En- forcing Unit Advised. SUGGESTS PROSECUTING HIRERS BY CIVIL SUITS Report Follows Thorough Study of History of Statute by Committee. The eight-hour law for women in ‘Washington should be strengthened by a broader and clearer definition of the groups affected and by creating a sep- arate enforcement unit, in the opinion of a committee which made a thor- ough study of the histery of this law under auspices of the Voteless District of Columbia League of Women Voters and the Washington Women's Trade Union, League. The report also suggests the advis- ability of prosecuting employers for vio- lations by civil suits rather than crimi- nal procedure, and recommends the working out of a system of handling violations with as little recourse to the courts as pcssible. ‘The committee suggests increasing the number of industries or occupations specifically listed in the law by adding to those named in the present act, as follows: “Office workers; personal serv- ice occupations, such as hairdressers, manicurists, etc.; elevator operators; telephone operators at private switch- boards; hospitals; apartment houses; public utilities, and places of amuse- n'l':l;t (ushers in theaters, cashiers, etc.).” Strives for Ideal Law. The committee points out there may be other groups which should be con- sidered, but that this list covers the largest and most important groups not included in existing law. Referring to general office workers, the committee adds the comment that the inclusion of this group “might be criticized, not only as being in too controversial a fleld to be included, but also as being im- practical.” The committee prefaced its conclu- sions with the explanation that it en- deavored to be as inclusive as possible in its suggestions, striving for as ideal a law. as possibls “This means,” the committee added, “that, although no change is proposed unless it is considered practical, it should be recognized that it may not be expedient to try to make too many changes at one time.” Comment on Office Workers. In the body of the report, which pre- ceded the summary of recommenda- tions, the committee made this com- ment on the situation regarding office workers: - R “Office workers seem clearly outside the law unless tBey are employed in an establishment all’ of whose workers come under the law.. ‘Whether they should be included or not is.debatable. “To enforce the law for the multitude of offices that -employ one or two,girls meets in only.a slightly less degree with all the objections of trying to enforce & law for domestic servants. In many people’s minds that is always a ques- tion whether in these individual rela- tionships there are enough bad condi- tions to justify the very great expense involved in enforcing any law when in- spection units are so small and whether 1t is ever possible to watch out for so many places without an army of inspec- tors. In some States the tendency is to try to include office werkers who are employed in units of such size that their problems approximate those of the industrial worker. In all dealings with office workers, however, there is the danger of being too inclusive, so that professional workers are brought under the law. At present there seems to be so much fear of doing this that the office group is in danger of neglect. In the District of Columbia it is prob- able that if clerical workers in all the listed industries are carefully brought under the law. it will include the vast majority of such workers in private employment. In any effort to amend the law this is a group that sheuld be given careful consideration before.any action is taken.” Health Department Supervises Law, ‘The committee began its report by explaining that the present law limits the time that a woman may work in any manufacturing, mechanical or mer- cantile establishment, laundry, hotel or restaurant, or telegraph or telephone establishment or office, or any express or transportation company to eight bours in any one day, or six days, or $120,000 indebtedness of the expedition. | 48 hours in a week. Supervision of the law is under the Health Department. In recommending that the definition of the law be broadened the committee points out that the present statute has been interpreted as based on establish- ments, so that it covers every woman who works at any occupation in the industrial establishments listed in the act. Therefore, the committee con- tinues, in adding occupational groups care must be taken so that the inclu- siveness of the existing industrial group- ing is not destroyed. Other changes recommended in the summary are: “To reword the law so that there is no doubt that work is permitted- only on six days of the week. An alterna- tive way of trying to accomplish this |is through court interpretation of the present law. “To put back in the law the provision making it illegal for a woman to work longer than the legal hours in two different establishments. Better Machinery Urged. “To provide in the statute itself bet- ter ‘machinery for enforcing the law, this provision to consist of creating & CHERRY BLOSSOMS FOR EASTER EXPECTED IF WEATHER IS GOOD Buds Are Bursting, Yellow Jasmine Flowering and Forsythia Due Soon. crocuses and daffodils are in bloom. in May the dogwood will be in bloom. Mr. Henlock does not believe there will be any display to speak of for Sun- day, and no special traffic arrange- ments are being prepared for that day, although Capt.” P. J. Carroll will have some extra officers on duty. Officials of the United States Park Police will request Washingtonians to view the cherry in bloom and in two | see the Park south of the Highway Bridge, the /g blossoms, whefi they and position of executive and defining the duties of this position; providing funds for the salaries of the executive, of at least three assistant inspectors, and of at least one office assistant, sufficient for adequate entrance salaries and to enable salary increases to be granted for long and efficient service; provid- ing a general fund to cover the ex- penses of a separate office, travel ex- penses, printing, etc., for a unit charged ::lely with enforcing the eight-hour ‘The report suggests it would be pre- ferable to select a woman as executive head of the proposed separate unit for the administration of the law. To strengthen the enforcement fea- tures of the law these recommendations were made: “Making it a violation of the law when a woman was found at work at any time other than the hours shown by the ted schedule; putting back o Police Find Witnesses to Sup- port Confession of Los An- \geles Prisoner in Kirk Case. ARRESTED ON AVENUE AND FINED AS DRUNK Member of Party Pays $10 Assess- ment, Though Knowing Man But Two Days. While George Pierce Tucker, who has ccnfessed to slaying Emma Kirk, elderly umbrella mender, five years ago, is in a cell in Los Angeles, Calif, awalting court action on a request for his rcturn to this jurisdiction tc stand trial, local police are making efforts to trace Tuck- er'’s movements here just prior to and subsequent to the perpetration of the crime, which remained a mystery for five years, In his statement to the Los Angeles police ‘Tucker mad: it appear that he resided in a hotel, but burning of the records in a hotel fire made it impos- sible for the police to get documentary evidence in support of the prisoner's statement. Remembered at Hotel. It has been learned, however, that he actually occupied a room in the hotel several months subsequent to the commission of the murder, persons who knew him recalling that he was stay- ing at the hotel absut the time of his arrest, the latter part of July, SiX months after Mrs. Kirk was killed. Persons who saw him about the hotel at that time speak of him as having a charming personality. He dressed well, it is stated, and always appeared to have money, which he freely spent. There was nothing about his demeanor at that time to indicate he had a worry in the world, it is stated. ‘Tucker is said to have told mem- bers of a jovial party about that time that he was an automobile racer and was Interested in all kinds of sports. His arrest for drunkenness was made early one morning on Pennylvania avenue between Fourteenth and Fif- teenth streets, following a party in which men and women were partici- pants. Acquaintance Pays Fine. Taken to Police Court, Tucker was fined $10 and the fine was paid by a member of the party who had kncwn him only two days. It is expected tha copy of the indict- ment and bench warrant sent to the Los Angeles authorities by air mail, coupled with a request for the surren- der of the prisoner, will receive favor- able action in time for the prisoner to be started East early in the coming week. ‘Tucker probably will be taken into court for arraignment shortly after reaching this city, snd it is thought he will be put on trial for his life before the Summer recess of the courts. SWARTZELL TRUSTEES SUED FOR $500 NOTE Ione H. Calvert Alleges Transfer of Investment Week Before Bankruptey Petition. Charging that Swartzell, Rheem & Hensey transferred an investment of $500 made by her into one on which the security had already been released only one week before their petition to be adjudged bankrupt, Ione H. Calvert has asked the District Supreme Court to require the trustees of the bankrupt concern to surrender to her the original note securing her investment, which was made January 25, 1928. ‘Through Attorneys John Lewis Smith and John Paul Jones the plaintiff says the makers of the trust securing her original investment are ready to pay. The investment in the released note was made without her authority and is repudiated, entitling her to have back the original note. Justice Adkins has cited the trustees to show cause why the request should not be granted. ble the second would not be necessary. ‘The third suggestion is described as a wide departure from present practice in most States, but is considered as an aid to enforcement by authorities on labor law. “It would seem,” the report adds, “that there was a possjbility of having the law interpreted as it is now written to mean a six-day week instead of a seven, and to have it cover apartment houses that provide hotel or restaurant service. It is also possible that a prac- tice may be established of obtaining convictions without the present meth- ods of cumulative evidence.” ‘The report also suggests that there are a number of particulars in which the enforcement of the law as it now stands could be strengthened by having the Commissioners or the corporation counsel render opinions with regard to instances which have been the subject of doubt or of conflicting rulings in past years. Historical Position Summarized. After giving a chronological account of the drafting of the law in 1913 and of all important developments con- nected with its operation, the commit- tee summarized the historical portion of the report as follows: “After more than 15 years’ experi- ence with an unchanged law, enforce- ment of the District of Columbia eight- hour Jaw is still hampered by doubts as to its interpretation. The place to begin the solution of these questions is the corporation counsel’s office. There are many points where an authoritative opinion by that office—such as was given late in 1928 on the question of office employes in mercantile establish- ments—would in all likelihood be ac- cepted by the parties interested and would thus settle the question. There are other questions where, as it has been pointed out, a corporation coun- sel's opinion adverse to the present in- terpretation probably would not be ac- cepted, but would lead to court action by the employers affected. There are other questions which have been ra that seem so clearly outside the law— as it is now worded—that, if they show situations which need correction, only amending the act could take care of them. Since a clear understanding of the lJaw would so aid enforcement, all these questions of interpretation should be considered as needing attention, and should be taken up in such number and in such selected flelds as seem practi- cable at the present time, but even though some are not taken up now, sooner or later an attempt should be made to solve all of them.” rdon. ised | took three colored men into custody Deputy Chief Philip W. Nichol- son, whose 48 years in the de- partment make him its oldest member in point of service, is making final preparations to give up his job—but he doesn’t want to go. Half afraid of being misunderstocd, he sat in his office at No. 14 engine house yesterday and talked of leaving the work which hads been his life for nearly half a century. His voice broke a little as he discussed the inevitable. He is 68 years old. Hates to Leave. “I suppose they'll think I'm just complaining.” he said, “but I hate the thought of leaving. It's hard after a man has devoted his life to cne job and grown up with it.” At that moment gong tapped out an alarm. Instantly the chief was all business. His visitor forgotten, he grew tense as he listened to the signal. Then he relaxed. “A_local” he volunteered. “No. 1 and No. 3 have gone out.” Chief Nicholson resumed his story. “I came to the department in 1883 and was assigned to Truck A, on North Caj ital street near C. I was only 21 years old 2t the time and, so far as I know, I am tne only surviving active member of those who were in the department at that time.” Fire Gong Again. Again the fire gong tapped out its mysterious message. The chief’s atten- ticn, however, was only diverted mo- mentarily this time. “There’s No. 1 coming back,” he an- nounced. At the time Chief Nicholson came into the department there were only six engines and two trucks in service, all of them horse-drawn. During his 48 years with the department, the equipment has been increased to 31 en- gines and 14 trucks. Chief Nicholson regards the Louisiana avenue fire of 1896 as the biggest and most disastrous conflagration in Wash- ington during the past half century. Injured in Rescue. ‘The fire, which broke out May 18, destroyed 22 buildings and killed five firemen before it could be checked. According to the records of the depart- ment, the chief was injured that eve- ning when a mass of debris fell on him while he was trying to rescue Fireman George Kettler, who had been caught under a falling wall. “This fire,” he said, “is the only one I know of which has gotten beyond control.” Chief Nicholson saw service during the Baltimore fire, and is of the opin- fon that such a tragedy would be im- possible in Washington. “The nar- row streets of Baltimore and the mass of overhead wires, - which greatly hampered -the fire fighters. were pri- marily responsible for that disaster,” he declared. Recalls Store Blast. Another fire which siands out in his memory was the one which destroyed March's general store at Second street and Pennsylvania avenue about 35 years ag! ‘e were in Truck A house when the alarm came in,” he narrated, “and the chief and I jumped into a buggy and drove out there. Just as we pulled up at the curb the whole front of the b\lfldln{).blcw up. They had a quan- tity of Danford's tuud (gasoline) stored DEPUTY CHIEF NICHOLSON. |in there and the fire had reached it. | “A flying board struck me in the back of the head and stunned me,” he said. “Then the horse ran away, dragging me along. A block away somebody stopped it and the first person I saw when I opened my eyes was my father, who was a policeman. He took me into a drug store on the corner, where they fixed up a cut on my head and poured blood .out of my boots. That incident laid me up for a few days.” Keeps Scrapbook. Although, the chief said, his hobby has been and always will be fighting fires, he has devoted considerable time to writing a history of the local Fire Department and keeping a scrapbook. He has newspaper clippings of virtu- ally every fire in which he has figured. Chief Nicholson lives with his wife and two grown daughters at 5504 Thirteenth street. The house is not yet clear, and this is one of the rea- sons he is reluctant to see his career cut short now. His retirement will be made neces- sary because of the recent regulation adopted by the Commissioners auto- matically retiring all members of the Police and Fire Departments at the age of 64. The chief walked to the door. He placed an almost affectionate hand on & shiny brass pole lgading to the floor below. “This is the pole I've always used,” he explained, “and I can still get down it as fast as most of them. But I guess by pole-sliding days are nearly over. “They seem to think 'm through, and I suppose there's nothing I can do but go. Still, it would mean something to me if I could round out 50 years in the department.” | ARMEDPARTAKE HACKHAN'S HONE Cash Earned Selling Maga- zines—Bonus Stolen. Two armed bandits held up and rob- bed Louis Brown, a taxicab driver, of $13 early today on a lonely road near Silver Spring, Md. Brown, who lives at 72 M street, was engaged by two colored men at Four- tesnth and U streets. They asked to be driven to Silver Spring, and, when the cab was about a mile from ‘there they produced pistols and ordered Brown to hand over his money. : Take Key to Car. i After robbing the driver, the bandits took the key to the taxi and fled afoot, leaving Brown in the cab. A robber last night frightened Charles Eugene Liddington, 14-year-old Langley Junior High School student, into givin, him $1.60, which the boy had earn by selling magazines. Charles was on his way to his home at 3724 Twelfth street northeast when the thief, described as a well dressed young man, accosted him. After walk- ing a short distance with the youngster, the robber suddenly seized him, threat- ening to kill him if he did not hand over his money. Bonus Loan Stolen. Taking the money from a paper bag in which the boy was carrying it, the thief fled. ‘Theft of $175, part of a bonus loan obtained by John Hill, colored, 56 Plerce street, was being investigated to- day by police. Hill said the money was stolen while he was asleep. Police ar- rested Molly Johnson, also colored, 900 block Rhode Island avenue, but she de- nied having any knowledge of the theft. Steals Policeman’s Auto. Police today were searching for a man who last night took an automobile from its parking place in front of the home of George B. Deane, policeman of the fifth precinct station. Deane lives at 478 Maryland avenue southwest. 40 DRIVERS JON INTAXCAB STRI Union Hopes to Take Men | From Diamond Line as Fast as They Can Get Jobs. | Drivers ané Chauffeurs’ Union No. { 169 announced today that 40 Diamond taxicab drivers obeyed its strike order 100 more will follow suit as fast as two closed-shop taxicab concerns can provide cabs for them. In view of unemployment conditions, union spokesmen said, the order for a general walkout was modified to provide |for a gradual withdrawal of Diamond | drivers over a week’s period. Held Ne Cabs Idle. It was said on behalf of the Diamond Co., however, that only a few drivers obeyed the order and that none of their cabs was idle as a result of the strike. P The Associated Diamond Owners have refused the local's demand for a closed shop because, it was said, the union could not proyide drivers enough to man the cabs and because the union sought to include inits membership all Diamond chauffeurs, whether owners or merely drivers. “Jobs Are Scarce.” As for the Diamond drivers them- selves, of several interviewed today this reply was typical: “I've got a wife and kids, buddy, and jobs are scarce. This company gives us a break, as good as any in town. long as I can see two sides to this ar- gument I'm driving a Diamond cab.” jROMEIRT, World Tourist Dies on Ship. MANILA, March 27 (#).—Miss Helena Spraker of Brooklyn, N. Y., touring the world on the liner Fran- conia for her health, died today aboard the ship here. Death was attributed to natural causes. TORN BILLS PRESENTED TO U. S. TRACED TO 3 ALLEGED BANDITS Police Arrest Trio for Questioning After Taxi Driver Gives Clue in Half-Notes Hold-Up. With the assistance of the Treasury Department, headquarters detectives yesterday for investigation in conuec- tion with a hold-up in which Frank Carr, 64 years old, of 485 Pennsylvania, avenue, was set upon and robbed of the halves of two $10,bills last Saturday ht. ‘.An attempt to redeem the torn bills, which police declare passed through the hands of six ns after they were stolen by the bandits, led to the arrest of Dulford Diggs, 28, of 321 Mis- souri avenue; Jesse Shotter, 33, of 325 Four-and-a-half street southwest, and Milton W. 29, of 102 Fourth of whom are said to Cu.. ssed to the hold-up. Carr was attacked by a colored trio while walking near Third street and Missouri avenue Saturday night, but held firmly gripped in his hand, but ‘o‘belélhkd only ves of the bills and Detective Sergts. H. K. Wilson and Richard J. Cox, who arrested the three men yesterday, took the numbers of the bills 'in Carr’s possession, sanctioned their redemption for the owner at the ‘Treasury and asked attaches there to be on the alert for the corresponding portions. When a taxi driver appeared with the torn halves on Tuesday clerks at the Treasury asked him to return the following day for the money. Sergts. Cox and Wilson met the that. h tained refused to relinquish his 1 ney when the bandits so commanded ‘im. The sthors snatched at the bill. which he was | ension was followed ‘The his ap) arrest 9f two AGCURATE SET-UP All of Clocks in City Could Be Operated From Bu- reau of Standards. PLAN TIME SIGNALS FOR TESTING PURPOSES Instrument Generates Enough Electricity to Insure Con- stant Operation. BY THOMAS R. HENRY. A time-keeping mechanism which it is expected will operate with an ac- curacy of one ten-thousandth of a sec- ond is being set up at the Bureau of Standards. The essential mechanism is a free pendulum swinging in an approximate vacuum. To the top of the swinging pendulum is attached a mirror. Upon the mirror falls a beam of light. Then a photo-electric cell is so placed that with each swing of the pendulum the mirror reflects light upon it through a tiny slit. This generates two or three millionths of an amprere of electricity which passes through a one-stage am- plifier to a high resistance relay. From this point on the emebl: ac- curate timekeeping device can = tached to as many clocks as desired. It for testing purposes. For that matter, all the clocks in the city could be op- erated from this one pendnlum. It is only a matter of current amplification. There would be some slight loss in ac- curacy with each extension, but the de- vice would remain an extremely precise time-keeping mechanism. Accuracy Due to Simplicity. ‘The swing of the pendulum is only over a distance of 1 centimeter h 1 degree of arc.. It could be made much shorter if any decrease in accuracy could be gained by doing this. The ex- treme accuracy’of the um is due 'lh:heun to the simplicity of fl)ebdzvlce. Te are no- com| s duce friction. s 2 ‘The pendulum is kept swinging by a d cofl which is controlled by the pendulum ftself. First the pendu- lum is set swinging. Each minute it establishes a contact which sends a slight current through the coil. The coil, thus magnetized, exerts a slight. pull on the pendulum, which keeps it swinging. So the motive power of the mechanism is renewed every minute. Inclosed in an evacuated brass cylin- der, there is practically no k-%vm mgl%;n with the air, up the device, has been shown to be .0000000. The calculation has only been carried to seven decimal places. The brass bob is attached to the pendulum in such a way that whatever expansion takes place is “f and down from the center, 50 essentially the length of the pendulum never last night and predicted that at least | Pendulum, hrough it current and its sentlally simultaneous, well ten-thousandth of & second possibility of error. Actually it is the time device wfil siderably greater precision, but that is all Mr. Gould claims for it. ‘Trial pendulums have been operated successfully from a similar device set up by Mr. Gould, but with which the THREE PERSONS HURT IN TRAFFIC MISHAPS Woman, Policeman and Boy Suffer Minor Injuries in Accidents In and Near D. C. A policeman, a woman and a 15-year- As | old boy were injured in traffic accidents in and near Washington yesterday. The policeman, Pvt. C. C. Brown, driver of the fourteenth precinct radio car, was hurt when the machine col- lided with an automobile operated by Harry W. Whitehead, 24, of Arlington, Va., at Wisconsin avenue and Harrison street, and the policeman was given first-aid at the office of a physitian in the neighborhood. Mrs. R. C. Routzhan of Colesville, Md.,, was cut on the knee and arm when she’ was knocked down by a bicycle ridden by Alvin Flair, 610 Sligo avenue, Silver Spring, Md. She was treated by Dr. H. H. Howlett, whose office is near the scene of the accident, which occurred at Philadelphia avenue and Falkland drive, Silver Spring. his_coaster wagon hit an Army truck at Florida avenue and Nineteenth street. The truck, police said, was driven by Henry H. Knapp. PHYSICIANS WILL VISIT HOSPITALS TOMORROW ‘The American College of