The Waterbury Democrat. [volume], December 20, 1944, Page TWENTY-TWO, Image 22

About The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946

Image provided by: Connecticut State Library, Hartford, CT

                
Tall Tower
Topics
kjTil BY THE MAN IN THE TOWER
Good Evening.
GET THE DRIFT!
Hie drift of this Is snow,
Sort of unexpected, don't you know?
The kids accepted it with joy,
But the elders it did annoy.
On Cupid, on Dancer!
And there's old Prancer!
The sleigh bells are ringing,
Everybody’s singing!
The drift of this is snow,
Weatherman said—I told you so.
Old folks are oh-dear-me-ins.
Young folks already skiing.
On Blitzen, on Donder!
See the snow out yonder!
On Comet! this is the reason
Snow is in season!
* --
EM EM.
A life-long reader of The Democrat and incidentally
an admirer of Tall Tower Topics has loaned us a directory
of the City of Waterbury for the year of 1873 as arranged
by Fitzgerald and Dillon, publishers of Hartford. The
first 19 pages are “jammed” with the advertisements of
the leading manufacturing plants of the time, many of
which have long since been forgotten. George B. Thomas
was mayor; William Laird, chief of police; James P.
Goodwin, chief engineer of the Fire Department and
M. S. Crosby, superintendent of schools. The Post Office
was located on Bank Street and the City Hall was in
“City Hall Building, Center Square,” which was West
Mpin street, the present site of the Steele Building. But
if the names of the old time businesses of all types stir
memories, a glance over the names of the families of
that time start a train of speculation. Waterbury in
the intervening years has surely experienced a marvelous
transformation in family names. We plan to peruse the
little book more thoroughly and in the near future we
will try and connect some of our socially prominent fam
ilies of 1944 with those of 1873. Don’t be surprised to
find many of our present-day residents descendants of
“pioneer families” and of widely known family rfemes
now—unknown in 1873!
Fancy That. . . Folks won’t mind if the concerns
who send out Christmas bills forget to mail early. . . .
Times have changed: The Pilgrims got wild turkeys
for Christmas with a gun. We get tame turkeys with
a wild price_A pessimist is an optimist who thought
too much. ... To cut it pretty thin, the lad of the
month and the year is your faithful butcher who works
day and night to give you a good slice, and it’s not
boloney. . . . We all know what most people want for
Christmas — the things that the stores are just out of.
. . . Some people could reduce by living within their
means.
On the Bus . . . What a jam! Boy, am I glad I got
this bus. Took me twenty minutes to get to this corner
trudging through all that snow. ... Do you mean to say
we have a Latin TEST TODAY! Where was I when all
this was going on, such as Latin tests and English assign
ments! . . . School closes Friday! Oh, how perfectly
glorious! I have a perfectly thrilling vacation planned.
. . . Voice of the driver: Put that cigaret OUT, or you
GET OUT! .. . Bus Chorus: Good for you! ... Yes, I’m
down again today. I know I said yesterday was my final
attack on all sides, but today finds me with reinforce
ments all set to charge on the left flank again. Meet
my two daughters and son. ... Hi, there, Charlie! How
are stocks and bonds? I’ll meet you at the corner res
taurant for lunch with any luck. If you get there first
hold a table. . . . Yes, it is jolly to see the snow. Seems
to me I saw you once or twice last winter during some of
the major snowstorms when you couldn’t get your old
boat out, and I was in the same predicament. Fine
things, these busses, on a stormy day... Voice of the con
ductor: Transfer. I said, transfer. .. . Chorus: Let us
off at the next stop.
Editor, Tall Tower Topics. ... I am entertaining
American soldiers here in India as a member of Benny
Meroff’s Funzafire troupe and we’re doing a splendid
job. The doughboys rate us the best show to hit the
CBI area yet. We just finished four weeks in Italy
with the 5th Army and the 15th Air Force. The Red
Cross girls are doing a mighty swell job here. I hope to
be seeing plenty of Waterburians here within the next
few weeks. Regards to all the boys around Croce and
Colucci’s. . . . Charles Mariano, Unit 289, U.S.O., %
S.O.S., S.S.S., APO 885, % Postmaster, New York City.
-+
A 100 per cent G. I. Christmas greeting card has
reached the Tower from a veteran bombing squad crew
“Somewhere in England”. It is unique in that three
American youths serving Uncle Sam and conditioning
his mighty mechanical birds of the air for their destruc
tive flights over Europe are represented as the “Three
Wise Men” of ancient times. Garbed in G. I. attire they
are huddled before an infant in swaddling clothes. The
child is cradled in the arms of a U. S. Army nurse whose
part in the century-familiar tableau is that of the
Blessed Mother. In Bethlehem nearly 2,000 years ago
the card reminds us that the story read, “Behold, there
came three Wise Men from the East, who found the child
with Mary, His Mother, and falling down, they adored
him”. The modem thought as also expressed on the
card and with England, not Bethlehem as the locale, is
** Like the Wise Men of old, we kneel before the Child in
a strange land offering to him our Christmas prayer for
you”. The card is signed Alex Nole. formerly president
of the Catholic Youth Council in Waterbury. He is a
member of the bombing crew. Alex explains the card in
the following manner: “Just an example of some of
the fine jobs Father Murphy, our chaplain, performs for
Us boys. He had two different groups pose for Christ
mas cards and had 6,000 of them made up for us to send
home. All the boys, Catholic and Protestant, went for
them in a great way and as a result he had to order 4,000
more and even now we are running low. A flyer, a clerk
and a mechanic (yours truly) are shown as the ‘Three
Wise Men’. The madonna was posed by an Army nurse
from a nearby hospital. Her name is Peg Fitzgerald. The
Babe was ‘loaned’ for the occasion. With sincerest wishes
to all back home for a Merry Christmas and sincere
remembrances to my C.Y.O. friends,” ... Alex.
-♦
flood Night
Curt Riesc Reports
Nazis Fight For Time To Stem
Tide Of War With New V-Bombs
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Von Rundstedt’s Delaying Action Seen As Effort To Prolong War
So That Wehrmacht Can Introduce New Phase Of Air And Sea Battle I
Cart Riess, noted author and
analyst, is on assignment in Eu
rope as international correspon
dent for NBA and The Water
bury Democrat. Author of such
best-sellers as "The Nazis Go Un
derground” and “Total Espion
age,” Riess is recognized as an
authority on German internal
affairs. This exclusive story is
his first dispatch since his ar
rival overseas.
* * •
By CURT RIESS
London, Dec. 20—(By Radio)—
Countless indications justify the as
sumption that the Reich is pre
paring for a long, drawn-out war.
Intelligence issuing from the
Reich supporting such a bllef is
reluctantly shared by the public.
Perhaps the projected meetings
of the Big Three may have some
thing to do with the new German
plans to fight on—as grimly ex
emplified in the current Nazi coun
ter-offensive—in the desperate hope
that time and V-bombs will turn
the tide of war in favor of Hitler.
Some time ago four British secret
agents parachuted to Germany near
the Baltic coast and posed as for
eign workers. Found "politically re
Curt Riess
Nazi authorities,
they were as
j signed to differ -
! ent working
’ camps, then fln
s ally to one V
plant. Before the
Gestapo got wise,
they managed to
return t o Eng
land. This one
example of many
shows that Brit
i s h Intelligence
knows everything
there is to know
about the V-dan
ger.
constant oomomgs oi plants ana
launching platforms as well as rail
ways leading to them hamper the
German V-bomb effort. This is done
not with an eye on past and present
random V-bombings without mili
tary value, but to forestall the pos
sibility of a militarily effective use
of new type V-bombs on the front.
In some degree. V-l already is
used on the Belgian front, but ac
cording to experts, the future may
bring new models, employed as
quasi-artillery, creating a quasi-no
man's land between our lines and
the Nazi fronts.
There is good reason for the
belief that the Nazis are prepar
ing a V-3 to be launched from
mountain tips in Norway. Intelli
gence says they will prove hardly
more accurate than their predeces
sors. But less accuracy is needed
if they are directed against crowd
ed front lines instead of the hin
terland.
Whatever the military value, such
plans indicate the decision of the
Nazis to fight on, and probably will
cause a long delay to the end of
the war.
There are other indications that
the Nazis are preparing a war of
attrition. The Allies have discover
ed that the Germans have formed
iU wish to borrow
able rates
-its*
»• Pay™
'ear ceive ^
rr *»* *w -
20 '
!l 458 u >
30 • M '
ie Colonial
Oust Co.
jppoeit* the Gre«»
V/est Main
Waterbary
MOTORISTS
QUICK SERVICE
We re-cap your tires in 8 hours
and guarantee our work.
NOTICE
TO GRADE 1 CERTIFICATE
HOLDERS.
A complete stock of new synthe
tic passenger car tires now avail
able.
Tel. 3-1141
fMITfiP
36 Jefferson St.
Zone Books
You’ll need a zoning book
of Waterbury streets in
sending out your Christmas
mail. Revised zone books
on sale at the DEMOCRAT ,
OFFICE at 5 GENTS. Adv.
5 Cents
Thrown into the breach as the German High Command seeks to delay the Allied advance are burghers
enlisted in the “Volksturm,” the German home army. Many of the recruits, like those above, had never han
dled a gun and had to be given specific instruction.
new spy schools behind the Italian
front, whose purpose is training
spies in crossing Allied lines with
refugees and returning with in
formation. Several were caught and
executed.
The assumption is permissible
that similiar activities are going
on at the western front. Obviously
such an arrangement would be
senseless if the Nazis were resigned
to fighting a retreating battle from
now on.
Another indication that the Nazis
have a more positive plan is Ger
man leadership. Von Rundstedt,
greatest German strategist, hardly
would have retaken command if
he believed the situation utterly
hopeless. For the same reason, even
more symptomatic is the report from
Zurich that Hitler is again about
to take over the high command.
FIGHT FOR TIME
Hitler will do everything he can
to disconnect himself and the party
from final defeat. Therefore he
Mercy Flight In
Succeeds Despite
ALBROOK FIELD, Canal Zone
26, of (1419 De La Vina St.) Sant;
the Soldier’s Medal by Lt. Gen. Get
raising mercy flight from Pinogane
flight from Pinogana, deep in the
Canal Zone to bring a 15-year-old
Hospital, Panama City, for an erne
The journey, which began as a
routine mercy trip, turned out to
be a thrilling and exhausting ex
perience including the tearing
apart in mid-air of Lt. Wiley’s
plane, with the desperately ill
girl and her half-brother aboard
as passengers, by a furious tropi
cal electrical storm; a crash at sea,
a perilous swim through shark
and ray-infested waters to shore;
a pain-wracked night in a jungle
swamp; and final arduous rescue
by a 15th Naval District PT boat.
Lt. Wiley flew his light observa
tion plane to the small Pinogana
airfield and picked up the girl,
Genoveva Bustamante, and her
half-brother, Deosilo Martinez,
corregidor (sheriff) of nearby El
Real, with the intention of hop
ping them to a larger field not far
distant where a heavy transport
plane, more comfortable for the
stricken girl, could land to take
them aboard for the flight to the
Canal Zone.
Soon after the trio took off
from Pinogana, however, they
found themselves in a violent
storm, with visiility virtually zero
and St. Elmo’s fire forming arti
ficial lightning around the propel
ler, on the rain-drenched win
shield, and along the leading edges
of the wings. The violence of the
winds increased, wrenched off the
covering of the rear cockpit and
hurled the collapsing plane into
the sea.
Lt. Wiley and Martinez, support
ing the nearly unconscious girl
FRIENDLINESS
WITHOUT FRILLS
want it to be genuine and
without ostentation. That's
the kind you’ll find at the
Knickerbocker in New
York.
Our 350 rooms are clean
and comfortably furnished.
They all have private bath
and radio. Located half
way between Radio City
and Times Square, you’ll
save both time and cab
fares during your visit.
Halts an from 12.50 ta
S3.50 single: S4.SS.SS
JtaUt.
NONE HIGHER.
Early reiervatiaat art
tautsUj. Writ* h W. H.
Fitzsimmons. Manager,
far reservations.
■I HOTEL
Erickuiocuk
128 West 45th Street
NEW YORK
would leave military leadership to
others if he were convinced that
everything is lost.
Everything indicates that the
Germans fight for time. In this
connection it is interesting that
they are preparing a new phase
of air war, according to excellent
information. The Nazis are sup
posed to be converting bombers in
to gas carriers filled with inflam
mable gas in order to star fires in
and around strategic objectives.
Here again the effect would be de
laying. It seems in the realm of
possibilities that the Nazis might
send such bombers with suicide
crews to America.
Another delaying weapon will be
the return of the U-boat. Germany
has experiemented for years to im
prove her U-boats. The experiments
took place in the Baltic. The Ger
mans failed in their most import
ant objective of increasing under
water speed.
However, Germany still possesses
Panama Jangle
: Crash At Sea
—(UP)—First Lt. Edward R. Wiley,
i Barbara, Cal., was decorated with
irge H. Brett for his part in a hair
, deep in the Darien jungles mrecy
Darien jungles of Panama, to the
Panamanian girl to Santo Tomas
rgency appendectomy.
between them, finally made shore
and did what they could to ease
her sufferings. In the morning
they tracked SOS in the muddy
shore and finally were spotted by
aerial searchers who dropped a
rubber raft.
Wiley and Martinez placed the
girl in the raft and dragged her
six miles through sticky mud and
shallow water to the nearest point
to which a PT boat, directed by
wireless, could approach. From
there they were speedily brought
to Fort Amador, Canal Zone, where
ambulances met them for the final
lap of the journey.
The Bustamante girl survived
the emergency operation and re
covered while her two rescuers,
after treatment for minor cuts am?
bruises, plus recovery from their
exhaustion, were as good as new.
U. S. FIRE LOSSES
SHOW 5% INCREASE
Highest November Mark
in 13 Years Announced
By Fire Underwriters
Estimated fire losses in the
United States in November were
$33,847,000, an increase of $1,674,000
or 5 per cent over Otcober, 1944,
and $2 200,000, or 7 per cent higher
than November, 1943, it was an
nounced by W. E. Mallalieu, Gen
erc! Manager of the National Board
of Fire Underwriters.
This is the highest November
loss reported since November, 1931,
when the figure was $35,287,641.
The board’s estimates are absed
on incurred losses reported by
member companies, plus an allow
ance for uninsured and unreported
losses.
Losses in the twelve months
ended with November 30, 1944 are
estimated at $422,560,000 as com
pared with $368,988,000 for the
year ended November, 1943.
NEW ZINDAH GROTTO
STAFF TAKES OFFICE
Raymond E. Snyder will be seated
as monarch of Zindah Grotto at
ceremonies in Masonic Temple at
8 o'clock tonight. Horace M.
Brown, past monarch of Aziz
Grotto, New Britain, and past presi
dent of the Connecticut State
Grotto Association, will conduct the
ceremony.
Other officers to be installed
are Alphonse Marcotte. Bristol,
chief justice; John J. Lineburgh,
Sr„ master of ceremonies; J. Sid
ney Pearson, venerable prophet;
Past Monarch Thom W. Corby,
secretary; Past Monarch Clarence
W. Slater, treasurer.
SKIPPED TOP OF BALLOT
Boston. (UP)—No fewer than
40,328 Massachusetts who
went to the polls last Iter, t filled
out the rest of the balylot—but neg
lected to rote for anyone for Presi
des!.
around 400 TJ-boats ready for bat
tle. She possesses excellent bases
near Bergen. Norway, blasted out
of the mountains, well protected by
concrete and far superior to other
bases in France. Furthermore, the
morale of most of the crews still
is exceedingly high and the Ger
mans treat and feed them supreme
ly to retain it. Experience shows
that while the U-boat is an im
mense nuisance and thus a delay
ing factor, it has no strategic value.
WOULD SPLIT ALLIES
Summarizing, everything points
to the Nazi wish to delay us. Their
spy schools and the fact that U
boats are not yet employed indicate
their belief that they have much
time left.
Most experts believe that the main
incentive for delaying tactics is the
German hope that the Allies may
quarrel. If there is a new German
plan which may change the face of
the war. this alone is reason for a
speedy meeting of the Big Three.
GUEST OF HONOR
msmm
D. J. MOYNAHAN
Retiring Manager
MA1TATUCK STAFF
FETES MOYNAHAN
Veteran Metropolitan In=
surance Co. Manager Re
tiring After 31 Years
The Mattatuck staff of the Met
ropolitan Life Insurance Company
tendered a testimonial dinner to
their manager D. J. Moynahan at
Guertins restaurant last Monday
evening. The purpose of the gath
ering was to pay tribute to Mr.
Moynahan who is retiring on De
cember 29th after completing 31
years of continuous service with
the Metropolitan Life and who has
had a brilliant career as a man
ager for that company for more
than 20 years.
Russell Truelove presented the
retiring manager with a hand
somely engraved wrist watch on be
half of the Mattatuck staff. In
responding Mr. Moynahan paid a
glowing tribute to the members of
the Mattatuck staff office person
nel as well as agents for the mag
nificent cooperation and support
they had given him in the eight
years that he had represented the
company here in Waterbury. Dur
ing that period the Mattatuck staff
has won the company’s national
award for outstanding acomplish
ments in the country at large for
five consecutive years.
With Manager Moynahan at the
speaker’s table were Dr. Alfred J.
Finn, William B. Laydon, Mrs.
William Bolt, James P. Gorman,
Mrs. Joseph Novakowski, David
Smith with Edward Smith as
toastmaster.
Among the guests present were:
Misses Margaret Carroll, Virginia
Peck, Elaine Gandy, Marie Ac
carino, Frances Gustas, Jane
Brice, Elizabeth McIntyre and
Mrs. William Noonan also D. J.
McCarthy, Alfred Goldman, Paul
Lorton, Cirillo DiPietro, John
Schweizer, Edward Truelove, Rus
sell Truelove, David Harris and
Louis Drexler.
REALIZES GOAL
Joseph Cotten, who was Jennifer
Jones' unobtainable dream man In
their last picture together, gets him
with finality in their present pic
ture, "The Love Letters."
ARMY PRAISES
HELEN KELLER
Tour of Nation’s War Hos*
pitals Benefits Patients’
Morale
New York, N. Y., Dec. 20.—Helen
Keller, noted deal-blind author, now
on a coast-to-coast visit of military
hospitals, is winning high praise
from army officers as a morale
builder, according to the American
Foundation for the Blind, 15 West
Sixteenth street, New York 11, N. Y.,
the organization sponsoring the tour.
"It is felt that her visit here did
more for the patients themselves
than has thaat fo any other visitor,”
reports the executive officer, writing
to the Foundaion on behalf of the
Commanding General, Army and
Navy General Hospital Hot Springs,
Ark. "The writer does not passess
words to express the enthusiasm
everywhere apparent upon the visit
of Miss Keller and Miss Thomson
speak to the veterans here at Eng
land General hospital. Inasmuch as
we wanted all the men to hear Helen
Keller, It was necessary that she
speak five times during the two
days she was here In Atlantic City.
She was charming and cooperative
every moment of her stay.”
Helen Keller’s tour embraces
eighteen hospitalization centers and
ends at Portland, Oregon, on Dec.
30. 8he is accompanied on her visits
by her companion, Miss Polly Thom
son.
• Dartmouth and
Prager Ridge Top
Skis
• Ski Poles
• Stainless Steel
Edges Installed
/
Templeton’s
*0«r SO Years at »trTl«
TEMPLETON'S CORNER
DIAL —— 4-1101
Always A Place To Park
WE WILL BE
OPEN
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
EVENINGS
UNTIL 9:00 OXLOCK
SATURDAY
EVENING
UNTIL 7:00 OXLOCK
The MILLER & PECK Co.
Waterbury - Cheshire
r' v
Surprise fief With the
DIAMOND RING
FROM ESSEN CO.
LARGE CENTER DIAMOND
4 SIDE DIAMONDS
SOLID GOLD MOUNTING
WHITE. TELLOW CM KMC
The Larger, Lovelier Ring You
Promised Her Once Upon a Time
Make good on that promise of long
ago. Now, that you can afford it,
give her this precious symbol of
your love. Specially priced.
Fed. Tax IncL
$725g
$1.25 a Week
gUrim 10 pc. DRESSER SET
110 SOUTH MAIN STREET
OPEN EVERT NIGHT tJNTI $ O'CLOCK