The Key West Citizen Newspaper, August 12, 1940, Page 1

Associated Press Day Wire Service For 69 Years Devoted to the Best Interests of Key West THE SOUTHERNMOST NEWSPAPER IN THE U. S. A. VOLUME LXI. No. 192. Present’ Air A Forecast Blitzkrieg... Deals Are Mae Raids Now Conducted Be-| j lieved Feeling Out Brit- ish Defense Armaments In All Areas (By Assosiated Press) LONDON, Aug. 12.—Nazi air- planes roared agair over England last night and this morning and spread untold havoc and destruc- tion. although tae true ficture of the attacks and the manner in which the Britith are absorbing the shocks will probably not be known for a long time. Propaganda cloud the facts both sides pre: agencies act to of the air battles. enting stories at great variance from other. In view of that then, neutral ervers are inclined to strike an even balance between both reports, yet there is no fair precedenc to adopt even that procedure. Nazi claims centered on de- struction of over 60 British planes in the fighting since yesterday, with admission of 15 planes of Germany lost in the attacks. Characteristically, the British claims reverse the figures almost exactly. One German dispatch stated that forty Stukas concentrated on the port of Portsmouth and destroyed shipping in the harbor and much dock construction. The dispatch stated that not one sin- gle British plane appeared in de- fense éperations. British war office declined to mention specific battles, con- tenting itself with a blanket an- nouncement to the effect that all raids are meeting with the stiffest kind of resisf&nce with at- tendant good reports of defense successes. There a feeling here that the attacks now going on are not to be considered as the real German blitzkrieg. Advice from Germany leans that way. also, and local observers feel that the flights and attacks are being carried out merely for the purpose of de- termining the extent of British defense armaments. German dis- patches back that presumption when it was stated that “Eng- land is yet to feel the full force of Germany's mastery of the air”. Additional Nazi advices told of successful raids conducted li over England, with a number of balloon barrages destroyed over east coast areas. Territory covered by the Ger- mans was extended to northern Ireland, bringing the war for the first time to the Irish. While the air-battles, consider- ed the largest of the war to date, demanded first position in Eu- rope’s news, the action in Africa was also of importance. There, it is learned, the British are tak- ing up strong positions in Samo- liland to stop the Italian drives toward Egypt. It is generally felt that if pres- ent hillside positions are not held, the British may as well give up any thoughts of success- fully defending Samoliland. each situation, on: BRITISH WILL NOT LET DOWN BLOCKADE LONDON, Aug. 12.—British ad- miralty announced this morning that naval units have been in- structed to continue enforcement of the blockade edicts to the let- ter. This means that food shipped from the United States to Ger- man-controlled countries will not be allowed to go through the blockade. Two ships have al- ready been ordered back to Am- erica, it was announced today. CAT LOVES MOUSE SALFORD, W. Va.—A cat own- ed by Mrs. J. C. Thomas of this city has formed a friendship with @ pet white mouse. i Atlantic Storm Hits Coast At Charleston So. Carolina PUBLIC BODIES MUST PAY TAXES . SAME AS OTHERS COMPTROLLER LEE'’S PREACHINGS (Special to The Citizen) TALLAHASSEE, Days of ta xemptiion all who apply. apparently are over in the supreme court too, where there seems to be a trend towards making folks pay taxes—if the recent decision in the Jackson- ville housing case is any criterion. The thought back of that opin- ion—and carried forward in the decision on rehearing last week is to Aug. 7— to that the law on exempt be very strictly construed— seems to be that when public bodies go into business they must pay the same taxes as others. It sounds very much in line with the preachings of State Comp- troller J. M. Lee the past few yea There is a Jacksonville Hous- ing Authority, created by the legislature to secure federal grants and build low-rent apart- ments and homes for folks in moderate circumstances. The legislature d the property should be exempt from taxes. Citizens mandaniused the as- sessor to put the property on the roll and lost in the lower courts. Comptroller Lee declined to sup- port the exemption and the case was appealed to the supreme court which ruled that, govern- ment or no government, the en- terprise looked like a busin proposition and ordered the sessor to tax the property. He asked for a rehearing and the court has finally decreed that if the housing authority can show its project is a charitable purpose it is entitled to exemption but unless it can show this, the as sessor shall levy advalorem taxes as the iegislature can not grant tax exemption to federal or mu- nicipal enterprises operating as private busin enterprises and in competition with other busi- as- REPAIR THE STREETS! _THE STREE. Since The Citizen's edi- torial concerning the bad con- dition of the city’s streets— this office has been swamped with calls focusing atfention on particularly bad spots. These will be passed on to the authorities for action from time to time. SIMONTON STREET “There are a number of streets in Key West that put a terrific strain on the chasis of auto- mobiles but I believe the worst thoroughfare at present is Simon- ton street. There are enough ruts and holes on that street to loosen every nut on a car”. Thus spoke a Key Wester in reference to the condition of the city’s streets. And there are many who agree with him. Particular bad spots on this thoroughfare are between Flem- ing and Angela streets. Excava- tions for the sewer and water pipe lines and constant wear from traffic and weather have placed their toll on these two blocks. ‘the back. which is Gale Follewed By Tidal Waves; Short Wave Ra- dio Only Contact With Area Hit . (Ry Axsociated Press? JACKSONVILLE, Aug. 12.— All along a hundred-mile stretch of seacoast from Savannah, Ga.. to Charleston. S. C.. a terrific gale is whipping property into a frazzle, as the storm recorded by the Weather Bureau moved in- * (Continued on Page Six) KEY WEST, FLORIDA, M On New COMDR. GIBBS’ AND ONDAY, AUGUST 12, 1940 Homes: Het; DR. MORGAN’S RESI- DENCES ARE ABUILDING; TWO NEW SALES REPORTED ! {) Real estate news came into the headlines in Key West today }with the release of considerable building operations now in evi- idence and with the knowledge of sales of property made that will mean additional building in the months to come. One new home on which con- struction began last week is that owned by Commander Tucker €. Gibbs, U.S.N., retired. It is sit- uated at the corner of White and Johnson streets, in the Martello subdivision. Commander and Mrs. Gibbs will reside in this. a $11,000 structure. upon cc tion. He is a brother of Attorney General George Cooper Gibbs, inent St. Augu: Commander Gibbs purchase two 50-foot lots and a 42-foot Io on Johnson street, and divided CHARLES THOMPSON'S WOODCARVING Plans Fatare Livelihocd; Art Center Should Aid Him REVEALS HIS ARTISTIC CAPABILITIES By WILLIAM RUSSELi It has been said that some peo- ple are “born” for certain fields of life's work We believe this old adage holds true in the case of Charles Jerome Thompson. Charles is 17 years old, the son of Mr. and Mirs. Joseph R. Thomp- son, 1425 Eliza street. His father is a first-class painter and maybe that is what gave him the idea for the kind of work he is ac- tively interested in, although it is just a hobby at present. Yet— it is a far-cry from painting houses to painting figures one has carved by hand. less, there may be some connec- tion. Young Thompson, himself, doesn’t ~know why he hegan woodcarving.. “The idea came to me all of a sudden”) he declared. “In school I did draw pictures of girls and the like, but. .I had never done any carving of wood until about two years ago”. Since then, Charles has carved, Painted and given “away many reproductions of human and imaginary figures. He has lost track of the number he has pro- duced. “I like this kind of work and intend to continue to do it”, he said. * Most outstanding of his handi- work is the full-length replica of Charlie McCarthy. He made three attempts at carving Charlie’s head until he was satis- fied with the likeness to the criginal The third carving re- sembles Edgar Bergen’s famous dummy almost to the last detail. Charlie's mouth opens and shuts, operated by a wire and spring in pulled by hand. Although he has no upper set of teeth at present, Charlie has a perfect white lower set, clearly showing the patience and ‘firmness of hand of his Key West creator. Legs are in joints that can swing freely and. toes, not fully shaped yet, have been cut on Charlie’s feet. Separate pieces of wood were carved and painted for the eyes and placed in the openings. The dummy “is dressed in a pair of pants, sweat- er and shoes. On the sweater is pinned a police badge. Charlie has been offered $20 for the dummy, which was carv- ed-out of a railroad tie, the head of which is in two parts glued to- gether. Dummy Charlie has been given to his brother and under no circumstances will young Thompson offer it for sale. ° Plans for another McCarthy are, now in the mind of his youthful creator. The next Charlie will be more elaborate. Artificial eyelashes and eyes that can roll are contemplated. A new suit; more in comparison io the fa- mous dummy’s flashy clothes, will be purchased. What Charles will do with Charlie McCarthy No. 2 of his collection has not even been given a thought at present. No. 1 was nearly two weeks in the making, but the ex- Perience gained will tend to shorten the time of work on No. Neverthe- 2. Another famous personage was the object of young Thompson's carving recently. He is Benito Mussolini. Only the head of the Italian dictator was carved, but artificial hair crowned the wood- en image to make it_more life- like, contrary to the shining dome of the living Benito. This object is now in Miami, a gift to a relatiye.. Imaginary girls in bathing suits have been produced in large numbers, all given away. We saw several that are in the Possession of Thompson’s friends. Practically all of them were carved with a pen-knife, and al- though they are no more eight or nine inches in height they are complete even to the little finger. They are glued to ornamental pedestals, also the work of Charles. Thompson's efforts are-not con- fined to the reproduction of real or imaginary human figures. He has constructed a number of boats, picture frames, orna- mental shelves and has painted leading figures of the fistic world. One of the boats is a replica of a coast guard cutter, complete with a lifeboat and a gun up forward. Another smaller ship resembles a passenger steamer, idea for which was gained by viewing the S. S. Cuba and an Italian vessel Several other boats Charies has put together have been given to friends. The picture frames shown us two openings for pictures, joined together by a hinge. The design on the framework, although sim ple, adds beauty to the whole, which is varnished. Another and a@ more imposing one has three heart-shaped openings, the cen- ter opening being the largest. Above the center aperture ap- pears the painted head cf_Pin- than’ the whole in two parts, giving kim a frontage on that street of 71 feet, with about 100 feet on White street. The balance of the land has been sold to Mrs. Ellen Terry of ick Mountain, N. C., and New York. Mrs. Terry visited Key West last year auring the cold spell and left almost imme- aiately. The Tneima Strabel art- icle, “Reap The Wiid Wind”, ap- peared in the Saturday Evening Post at that time, and the firsi mstzliment led Mrs. Terry to re- turn to the city a ke the property deal with Comdr. Gibbs. Mrs. Terry plans to construct a commodious home on the 71- foot lot. Dr. A. M. Morgan’s new home. at the corner of Reynolds and Von Phister streets, has been started. Miss Strabel’s new “southern- Most home” is nearing comple- tion. This is situated on South street at the Atlantic ocean shore- line. Another new re:idence, an- nounced ioday oy Miss Ileen Wil- liams is that to be constructed at the corner of Waddell and ington strects-for Mrs. Era ‘Pet -son, of NewYork and Daytona Beach. Mrs. Peterson visited here re- cently and became interested in the city. She plans to erect a three-unit apartment house of typicel Key West architecture on the lot she puchased last week. New homes for six Key West- crson Avenue E are nearing completion and other building operations previously announced in The Citizen are progressing satisfactorily. The present pe- riod, according to most observers, is the busiest in real ate circles here since the opening of the highway in 1938. The Key West Citizeir HOUSING PLANS ARE READY FOR BUILDERS Key West Housing Au- announced this morn. SHE AND HUSBAND WERE REGULAR WINTER VISI- TORS TO ISLAND Acvice relayed to friends here told of the passing of Mrs. George A. Shepherdson at Great Village, Nova Scotia, on Wednesday, Aug- ust 7. The information was sent by her husband, who stated that is wife hi tee ee. Tee at ai hospital “in- Montreal since leavine Key West this year, and was not considered to be in serious condition. Mr. ahd Mrs. Shepherdson have been regular winter visitors to this city for several years and had made a host of friends. Many expressed their grief today at news of her death. WHAT! NO PAPER CARTONS? FORT MILLS, S. C.—Mother Nature decided to do something different in the garden of H. A. Carrouth. Tomatoes are growing in bunches—exactly seven egg- sized tomatoes to each bunch. _OUR DEFENSE (EDITOR'S NOTE: This is the third of'a series -pre- pared by the National Defense Advisory Commission in re- sfomse to numerous reauests for articles'on our national preparedness program. Future releases will appear in The Citizen on Thursdays and Mondays. F The Army Of The United States The Constitution of the United States gives Congress the power to raise and support armies, and designates the President as Com- mander-in-Chief. The Army is divided into three main sections. The Regular Army, the National Guard, and the Or- ganized Reserves. Under the Presidént, the Secretary of War is responsible for running the Army. Under him is the Assist- ant Secretary of War. reponsi- ble for getting the military sup- Plies for the Army, and for ade- quate provision for mobilizing materials and industrial organi- zations essential to wartime needs. It is the biueprint and general outlines laid down by the Assistant Secretary of War over a@ period of years that form the basis of what are known as War Plan. To facilitate the carrying out of these plans, the President appointed the National Defense The General Staff The soldier head of the Army is the Chief of Staff. He is re- sponsible for planning, develop- ing, and executing the Army's Program for national defense. He has to train a million new men, to make an army of them. There (Chief “of Staff, each responsible for a separate is care of the fighting men of the retires, and discharges. It is re- sponsible for making the best use of our manpower. The Mili- tary Intelligence Division is re- sponsible for furnishing all kinds of military information. The Operations and Training Division handles the training of men from the time they join till they are ready for duty, and be- yond that carries out the voca- tional and educational work to fit the men for new duties and new techniques. The Supply Division provides {for all equipment, buildings, stor- tion of supplies, care of the sick, ‘and for keeping track of army equipment. . The War Plans Division is responsible for the use of our armed forces in war, the location ‘of fortifications, and for the gen- eral strategy of defense. Directly under the Chief of “Staff comes the Regular Army, which is the full-time profession- al part of our land forces. It is always ready, at the drop bomb, to go into action as spearhead of our intial force. It is designed to be aug- mented by the Organized serve and the National Guard time of need. Together forces make up initi tective force. the Navy, the i SAWYER RECORDS MURPHY DEEDS AS “FAST AS POSSE COMPLETED AND DELIVER- ED TO OWNERS County Clerk Ross C Sawyer Stated today that he will start mailing out deeds to successiu! bidders at the Murphy land sales held last winter and spring this afternoon and will continue » do so each day as they are re corded. In ali, a total of 696 deeds have to be recorded, and im that there is considerable work to the pro cess, it will probably take 2 full month before ali of the deeds have been properly entered on the county books and sent owners. The deeds arrived from Talle- hassee last Friday, sent by the Internal Improversent Board fel- lowing weeks of delay Honored By K.W.HLA. Name Selected Fer White Project; Fert Village Chosen For (Colored Units Walece B Eowe goece = tne Key Wec Housey Acces @nmouncet ioGef “ta sot etoe ent couotec prose = coe al Mr. Sawyer stated that no spe- cial order is being followd im re cording the deeds. A number of urgent requests are being acted upon at present and these are being mailed out first. EH there are others who would like to have their deeds recorded as soon as possible, Mr. Sawyer stated that they can receive preference by imforming him of ther de- sires. Delay mm recording the deeds now at hand will not cause any upset in getting the parcels o= the tax books of the county and city, it was believed NONE INJURED IN AUTO- ACCIDENT Four persons Miami-bound Saturday afternoon narrow!y «= caped death when the car i which they were riding plunged into about five fect of water m = canal alongside the Overseas Highway on Cudjoe Key Occupants of the car were Mrs Myrtle Sabines. and two daugh Nathan Giles. The Sebines’ were homeward bound to Washungtor. D. C. following 2 visit with Mrs quist, 626 William street Mirs Giles was on her wey to Miers for a visit. All managed to reach the igh way followmg the acodent anc no injuries Were reported t hie | : i | 1 tr il Nir i { 4 | yh af ry