Evening star. [volume], August 22, 1955, Image 1

About Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972

Image provided by: Library of Congress, Washington, DC

                
WEATHER FORECAST
Scattered afternoon and evening showers,
low tonight 70. Less warm tomorrow. (Full
report plus resort forecast on Page A-2.)
Temperatures Today
Midnightßo 6 a.m. _„75 11 a.m 85
2 a.m. 79 8 am. ...77 Noon 87
4 a.m 78 10 a.m ...81 Ip.m. ...90
103 d Year. No. 234.
President to Fly
To Flood Area;
See Governors
Will Survey Disaster
From Air Tomorrow;
Appeals for Funds
By GARNETT D. HORNER
Star Staff Correspondent
DENVER, Aug. 22.—President
Eisenhower will make a six-
State aerial survey of flood dam
age tomorrow and then confer
with Governors on relief work.'
The President coupled a per
sonal announcement of his plan
with an appeal to all Americans
to "pitch in and help” the Red
Cross in a drive for relief funds.
He will inspect the heavy dam
ages suffered by Eastern States
on a flight from his Denver
headquarters to Hartford, Conn.,
where the conference will take
place.
Others in Parley
E Roland Harriman, chair
man of the American Red Cross,
and Federal Civil Defense Ad
ministrator Val Peterson also
will join the President in Hart-j
ford.
Mr. Eisenhower called a spe-j
clal press conference here today
to announce plans for the Hart
ford meeting. He said he ar- [
ranged the meeting 10 assure
himself that the Red Cross, the
Federal Government and the as- 1
fected States were co-operating
effectively in efforts to relieve
suffering of the flood victims.
Invited to meet with him in
Hartford or to send representa
tives were the Governors of
Pennsylvania. New Jersey. Mas
sachusetts. Rhode Island Ntw
York and Connecticut.
Carolinians Invited
Governors of hurricane-dam
aged'South Carolina and North
Carolina were notified they also
would be welcome to the Hart
ford conference, or could see
Mr. Eisenhower in Washington
tomorrow afternoon if they
would like to do so.
The President plans to take
off from Denver at 9 p.m. (Den
ver time) tonight in his plane.
Columbine HI. and arrive in
Hartford about 8:30 a.m. to
morrow.
Emphasizing that he wanted i
to leave “no opportunity amiss
in order that we may be help
ful,” Mr. Eisenhower described
the conference arranged there
as “a little co-ordinating talk j
to make sure that everything
possible is being done.”
Phoned Governors
White House Press Secretary
James C. Hagerty told reporters
later that he and Bernard Shan
ley. the President’s appointments 1
secretary, telephoned Governors
of the affected States this morn- .
ing to invite them or their rep
resentatives to the Hartford
meeting.
Mr. Hagerty said the Presi
dent realized that the Governors
might be occupied with direct
ing emergency relief work and
not be able to attend the emer
gency meeting in person. He
added, however, that most of the
See EISENHOWER, Page A-2
Temperature Dip
Due Tomorrow
After More Rain
A break in the heat is expected
tomorrow after more thunder
showers this afternoon and to
night.
The forecast is cloudy and not
so warm. The mercury hit 90
at 1 p.m., however, and the
low tonight will be around 70.
Last night’s thundershowers
swept across the northern part
of the city, hitting lower Mont-,
gomery County, the edge of the
Northwest section and most of
the Northeast with heavy rains.
At the National Airport, where
rain is officially recorded for this
area, only one hundredth of an
inch was reported.
The Hyattsville (Md.) fire
board said lightning hit a power
line in the 9000 block of Fifty
second place, Hollywood, and a
transformer on the line near the
power station between Branch
ville and Berwyn Heights.
The Potomac River, swollen by
tropical rains, was expectc'’ to be
back to normal levels by tomor
row. Early today it dropped be
low flood stage at the Leiter
gauge, a half a mile above Chain
Bridge. It also was below flood
statge at the foot of Wisconsin
avenue.
MAKE
<ih? S>tar
YOUR MARKET PLACE
FOR SOUND
USED-CAR BUYS
You Can't Alford to Overlook
the Mony Attractive Automotive
Offerings Lisfed in The Star
Classified—Woshington's Biggest
• Classified Medium, Carrying the
Widest Variety of Best Used Car
Values
The Star Publishes More Classi
fied Used Car Ads Than the
Other Two Washington News
papers Combined.
SHOP THE STAR FIRST
BEFORE YOU BUY
®he lb citing
Phone ST. 3-5000 irk
French Battle to Subdue
Africa Riots; 1,000 Dead
Troops, Tanks and Planes Blast Rebels
In Morocco; Algeria Also Seething
CASABLANCA, Morocco, Aug. <
22 (IF). —French troops and For-1
eign Legionnaires using tanks 1
and fighter planes blasted back
at rebel bands today after a
bloody week end of raids, riots]
and guerrilla fighting left an i
estimated 1,000 dead in North i
Africa.
Sporadic rioting was reported
all over Morocco, although ap
parently most of the incidents
were small outbreaks of Na
tionalist violence.
Dependable casualty figures are |
lacking. One Paris newspaper
put the death toll at 1,341.
i Semiofficial figures, admittedly
conservative, gave a total near
800. Experienced reporters in
North Africa said a toll near
i 1,000 was more likely.
Probably the exact number
killed never will be known be-i
! cause of the rebels carried away ' 1
many of their dead before the
French could count them.
Leaders Open Talks
While both Morocco and Al
geria still seethed, French Pre- ;
mier Edgar Faure and Foreign!
Minister Antoine Pinay, heading
a cabinet "committee of five,”
’opened a week of talks with Mo
roccan leaders at the French
resort of Aix les Bains. Their
aim is a scheme of greater self :
i government for the turbulent*!
protectorate.
A French spokesman empha
: sized that the ministers are con
■ ducting an inquiry—not negotia
tions—with the Moroccan gov
i emment. Their conclusions will
be reported to the full French'
' cabinet for decisions.
French tanks launched a ma
jor operation this morning
against the rebel tribesmen who
massacred about 80 French at
Dead in Floods Near 200;
Health Dangers Appear
By tht Associated Pren
A staggering job of rehabili
tation faced flood-wrecked com
munities of the Northeast today
as stunned survivors found the
death toll steadily mounting
toward the 200 mark.
The known dead already num
bered 188. As additional vie-!
Other Flood Stories, Pages 2 and 3:
tims were discovered, it ap
peared the final count would go
well above this figure. Penn
sylvania and Connecticut, the
States hardest hit, estimated a
total of as many as 130 persons
still missing.
The latest count since the be
ginning of the floods last
Thursday was: Pennsylvania. 93;
Connecticut, 68: Massachusetts,
13; Rhode Island, 1; New Jersey,
6: New York. 4; Virginia, 3.
The American National Red
Cross said today an incomplete
survey shows 34,169 families
were routed from their homes in
the first six States. The survey!
showed 439 homes entirely de
stroyed and nearly 14 000 dam
aged.
Much Livestock Drowned
The Red Cross said the health
problem in Pennsylvania was
complicated by thousands of
dead chickens and many head of
livestock, drowned as the waters
rose. Scranton, Pa., had an
acutely serious water problem.
Water was being supplied at
street corners from 17 Army
canvas tanks, each holding 3,000
gallons.
As the rampaging streams and
rivers receded to normal levels,
astonished citizens surveyed the
heart-breaking devastation. It
was so vast that only the broad
est estimates of the damage
Cosmic Rays Debunked
As Peril to Space Travel
HOLLOMAN AIR DEVELOP
MENT CENTER. N. Mex„ Aug.
22 f/P).—Cosmic rays may make
your hair turn white, but they’re
not the outer space threat it
was first feared, space medicine
experts said today.
They said, “A traveler in the
stratosphere should be able to
perform duties in a normal
manner with no serious after
effects.”
The announcement followed
tests in Michigan in which live
monkeys and rats were sent
soaring for long periods in huge
balloons 15 to 20 miles above
the surface of the earth.
The balloons and techniques
for testing the effects of cosmic
rays—heavy particles of ele
ments from the sun—were de
veloped here and reported on
by Maj. Davis G. Simons, chief
of the space biology branch of
the Aero Medical Field Labora
tory here.
Testing the hazards of cosmic
trays to man, when and if he;
reaches outer space, was accom-!
plished by use of big plastic j
balloons. Live animals were;
placed aboard the balloons and
sent to heights of from 90,0001
to 120,000 feet above Saultt
Sainte Marie. Mich.
Maj. Simons’ report said some;
WASHINGTON, D. C., MONDAY, AUGUST 22, 1955—FORTY-SIX PAGES.
Oued Zem, a mining center In
the Tadla region south of Casa
blanca.
A cautious official report said:
“Operations have started. The
legion is searching houses in
Oued Zem and the surrounding
country. The Moroccans forti
fied themselves in some houses.
Tanks have gone into action and
these tanks have cannon on
them. Planes are standing by.”
i Authorities fear that the
French residents of Morocco
may launch reprisals as they did
last month when a bomb killed
seven Frenchmen in Casablanca.
Many Fires Set
Many fires were set in build
ings around Marrakesh. In pre
viously quiet Algerian cities
along the Mediterranean coast
: streets were deserted except for
police cars and half-tracks
loaded with troops.
The official count of casual
ties, still incomplete because of
interrupted communications in
some sections, said more than
210 were dead in Morocco—9o
European civilians, 20 French
and native troops and more
than 100 Moroccan rebels.
In the Constantine area of
Algeria the government an
nounced toll was 485 terrorists
and 69 French.
In Algeria. French troops
rounding up suspects razed nine
villages in the area of Oued
Zenati, center of the week-end
disorders. Many of the rebels
'had been pursued into these
villages. A communique said that
after women and children had
been evacuated the nine settle
ments were destroyed. It did not
See MOROCCO, Page A-5
could be made, but these ran
■ to billions.
Homes were wrecked or com
r pletely gone; factories were
damaged, some beyond repair.
! Bridges were down and roads
: washed out, with asphalt sur
faces churned up.
Health haaards were a major
i problem. Flood survivors in most
' places were ordered to boil drink
, ing water. Emergency anti
typhoid serums were flown into
.!isolated communities by helicop
ter.
Dry Ice Sought
Dry ice was an emergency item
1 and supplies were commandeered
1 to refrigerate vital food supplies
‘ where regular refrigerators were
still without electric power.
On top of all their other prob
' lems, many flood survivors looked
(head to an uncertain future with
, their regular jobs gone, at least
temporarily. Factory damage in
I Woonsocket. R. I„ alone left
» thousands out of work.
5 In Torrington, Conn., once a
i thriving industrial city of 28.000,
’ dozens of stores were smashed
• and factories put out of order.
Normal life was brought to a
standstill in Putnam, Conn.,
where floods and uncontrollable
magnesium fires had combined
1 to wreck the town.
| “We’re done. This valley is
‘ dead,” a veteran textile worker
‘ commented to an Associated
> Press reporter who managed to
1 get to the stricken commnnity.
The worst single tragedy oc
; curred near Stroudsburg, Pa„
’ where Brodhead Creek swept
1 over a summer vacation camp
and carried away 40 persons,
I mostly women and children.
. Nine persons survived to tell of
1 the horror when the flash flood
; collapsed a building in which
• the campers had sought refuge.
1 _The others were dead or missing.
•'of the animals were exposed to
• cosmic radiation at that height
■ for as long as 35 hours.
!! Monkeys used in the tests were
closely before and after
! ( their ordeal, but they “behaved
perfectly normally after two
[flights.”
, "After watching the exposed
. animals for six months follow
ing the experiments, scientists
concluded that cos
mic particles may have been
[! overestimated as hazards to the
. nerve system, and that a traveler
in the stratosphere should be
: flble to perform duties In a nor
. mal manner with no serious
after effects.” the report said,
i The only noticeable effect was
Mhat blackhaired rats sometimes
started growing white hairs after
prolonged exposure to cosmic
i rays because of damage of the
piercing ray particles to hair fol
licle-pigment cells.
It had long been feared that
the rays might “cause formation
: of cataracts of the eye lens, !
[ damage the skin or permanently
..destroy nerve cells which can
: not be replaced In the body," the
! | report said.
I However, after the tests, the
i i experimenters have decided that
;!none of the experiments on
either physical or mental func
tions "showed adverse effects.”
Traffic and Passengers Light
As Buses Roll Again Here
HI
I ''wLJkK./ MMBm
iIJI
w j IE3
%. asm m @ S iPrJI 1 fH
FIRST IN LlNE—James R. Hill, operator of the first
streetcar back in service, shakes hands with the
Job Rilling Won
By Policeman
D.C. Officials to Fight
Civil Service Action
i The Civil Service Commission
appeals examining office today
Jones came to a head last June
Jones, dismissed by the Com
missioners last June, restored to
duty with full pay retroactive
to March 30.
The Commissioners imme
diately ordered the corporation
counsel’s office to appeal the
decision.
The long-delayed case of Pvt.
Jones acem to a head last June
when in a unique split decision
a police trial board recom
mended his dismissal after find-’
ing him guilty of being drunk!
off duty and lying to his super-!
iors.
“Procedarally Defective”
The Civil Service Commis
sion's appeals examining office,
in an opinion sent to the Com
missioners by E. A. Dunton.
chief, said the police private’s
dismissal was ’’procedurally de
fective."
The Jones case was marked
by behind-the-scenes maneuver
ing and three firsts—the first
time a police trial board had ever
recommended probation, thA first
time a trial board had evt# re
turned a split decision, and the
first time the Veterans’ Prefer
ence Act had been applied to a
policeman, giving him 30 days’
notice before dismissal.
Highlights of Case
The Jones case developed this
way:
March 2—He was suspended
and charged with malingering,
failing to report to the police
surgeon while on sick leave, wil
fully making untruthful state
ments to a police officer and be
ing under the influence of alcohol
while off duty. His trial board
hearing was scheduled for March
11.
March 10—Pvt. Jones went to
District General Hospital as a
voluntary patient, and the trial
board indefinitely postponed the
case.
March 15—A police trial board
found him not guilty of maling
ering but guilty of the other
offenses. It recommended pro
bation.
March 16—Police Chief Robert
V. Murray overruled the trial
board and ordered a new hear
ing.
March 23—Pvt. Jones accused
of two charges of drunkenness.
March 26—A police trial board
recommended the private's dis
missal. Inspector Charles J. Sul
livan, chairman of the board,
wrote a dissenting opinion, the !
first in history of police trial
boards Pvt. Jones filed an ap
peal with the Commissioners,.
and the Commissioners applied j
the Veterans’ Preference Act to 1
the case.
June 11—Pvt. Jones was dis-|
missed by the Commissioners.
Few Bad Auto Tie-ups
In Rush Hours Reported
Flow of Vehicles Definitely Lighter
Than During Strike, Agnew Declares
J Tran sit-riding commuters!
moved back toward normal riding
, habits today and police said the
morning rush -to - work traffic
tarns appeared "lighter than dur
ing the strike.”
Deputy Chief John J. Agnew.
in charge of traffic, said after a
, tour of downtown streets.
• “Traffic moved very, very well
and appeared to me very defl
. nitely lighter than during the
[■strike.”
Traffic Director George E.
Keneipp said he saw “no serious
tie-ups” and that “the effects
'of the resumption of service
; seems td me are very pro
nounced.”
Mr. Keneipp said he covered
most major north-south arteries
and saw none of the tie-ups
that had been common experi
ence during the last two months.
"At U street N.W.,” he said.
\"we counted only six cars be
tween U and Logan Circle on
Thirteenth street at 8:45 a.m.
Most of the police were on the
I sidewalks. There was no real
; need for them.”
Rush Hour Jams Normal
On some streets, however, of
! fleers said they noticed no sub
stantial change in traffic. But
; one cautioned that “congestion
TRANSIT AT A GLANCE
Buses and stre'etcars moved back into normal oper
ation today, and traffic flowed smoother than since pre
strike days. Passengers paid higher fares, and patronage
appeared off—possibly as much as 50 per cent according
to first reports.
BUSlNESS—Department and many other stores did a
bumper business during the strike, but some busi
nesses suffered. Page B-l.
BACK TO WORK—Days of planning and hours of smooth
work readied streetcars and buses for the first trips
today. Page B-l.
POLICE—The department, after today will get relief from
its seven-week diet of extra duty, no leaves and traffic
Jams. Page B-l.
FARE ORDER—Text of the Commissioners’ order author
izing Capital Transit Co. to operate until August 14,
1956, and setting new fares. Page A-6.
TRANSIT REACTION—J. A. B. Broadwater, Capital Tran
sit president, spells out the company’s reaction. Pg. A-6.
SCHOOL FARES-—The Public Utilities Commission opened
hearings today on an increase in the 3-cent transit
school fare. A raise has been promised by the Com
missioners. Page A-6.
iCTC PROFITS—The Capital Transit Co. may make a profit
from new fare raises, but there are a number of “ifs.”
Page B-l.
STRIKE COSTS—District tax revenues for July indicate
no severe losses due to strike. Page B-l.
FULL PICTURE PAGE—The Star’s photographers show
how buses and streetcar wheels began rolling today.
Page A-7.
first passenger, an old customer, Leroy Ezell, at
Twelfth and Monroe streets N.E.—Star Staff Photo.
ms normal during rush hours
• it's never pleasant to drive
‘ downtown during rush hours.”
One of the morning's biggest
tie-ups was at the South Capitol
Street Bridge, where autos at
7:15 a.m. were lined solidly all
! the wi\y back to Bolling Air
[ Force Base. Earlier, a draw
! span barrier got stuck and
, forced re-routing of traffic.
Capital Transit officials ex
pected to make no analyses of
| the situation for several days,
. and cautioned riders that serv
, Ice on some lines may be
! “ragged.”
At another major loading
1 point, Barney Circle at Seven
i teenth and Pennsylvania avenue
i S.E., there appeared to be a top
. heavy number of buses and
streetcars for the passengers on
hand.
Report on Fringe LotH
At 7:30 a.m., only aboilf 25
cars were parked at the munici
pal fringe-parking lot on the
Anacostia side of the South Cap
itol street bridge—and some of
their owners were making the
rest of the trip in car pools.
At noon, however, Lewis R.
Watson, jr., director of the Mo-
See TRAFFIC, Page A-6
Metropolitan
Edition
New York Markets, Pages A-22-23
WMAL—RADIO—TV
Libel Charged
In Indictment
White House Clerk
Falsely Accused
A rooming house proprietor
today was indicted on a criminal
; libel charge. He is accused of
making false defamatory state
' ments in labeling a White House
1 clerk a “subversive" in a letter
. sent to the White Hous?,
The man indicted is Leonard
Wesley. 40. whose business ad
dress is in the 1300 block of
! Twentieth street N.W.
The indictment charges the
letter, dated April 1, 1955, made
the false statements about
, Thomas M. Jones. 29, of 2520
Woodley road N.W.
No Signature on Letter
The typewritten letter was
addressed to the Division of
Investigation, Personnel Division,
White House, and bore no signa
ture. The bottom of the letter,
however, bore the typed word
ing “very sincerely yours, his
i fellow employe.”
The letter later was traced to
Wesley, according to Assistant
United States Attorney John C.
Conliff, jr, was declared “there
was no basis for the letter" and
said Wesley admitted the state
ments in it were false.
The indictment charges Wesley
caused the letter to be delivered
to the White House while know
ing its statments “to be false,
scandalous, malicious and de
famatory.”
Motive Not Revealed
Mr. Conliff declined to discuss
Wesley’s motive. The letter said:
“It is our personal knowledge
and belief that Mr. Jones has
i been paid cash for the trans
. formation of this official infor
mation.
“This young mans unselfish
dedication to the service of the
Russian government is unparal
leled in White House history.” J
How Wesley was alleged to
have got hold of White House
stationary was not made clear.
The maximum possible penalty j
for criminal libel is a prison sen-i
I tence of 20 months to five years 1
and a SI,OOO fine, Mr. Conliff
West Germany to Get
Second Atom Reactor
MUNICH, Germany, Aug. 22!
WP).—Bavarian officials said to
day a second atomic research
reactor for West Germany would
be built in Munich. It will be
placed under the direction of
Nobel prize-winning physicist
I Werner Heisenberg.
Dr. Wilhelm Hoegner, min
jister president of Bavaria, said
he received a personal letter
confirming this from Chancellor
Konrad Adenauer. The West
German government announced
August 2 that the first reactor
would be built in Karlsruhe, in
Baden-Wuerttemberg just east
, of the Rhine River.
5 CENTS
50 Pet. Drop
Reported in
Patronage
By HERMAN F. BCHADEN AND
GEORGE BEVERIDGE
Green streetcars and silver
buses, resembling something
from the almost forgotten past,
appeared on the streets of
Washington today for the first
time in nearly two months.
Experienced Capital Transit
Co. employes, back from one of
the longest transportation
strikes in history, got the big
fleet rolling this morning with
a minimum of confusion.
The big question seemed to be
more how the public was re
turning to the cars than how
the strikers were returning to
work. An early check indicated
a drop-off of perhaps 50 per
cent in riders.
48-Hour Check Needed
Company officials noted this
was only a guess, that it would
require 48 hours for an accurate
count on patronage drop-offs
due to higher fares and changed
riding habits induced by car
pools, cabs and walking.
Fares went up 3 cents on
tokens, making them only a
penny cheaper than the 20-cent
cash fare. And the weekly per
mit was up 15 cents, now costing
90 cents plus 10 cents per ride.
Normalcy in traffic had re
turned to such an extent that
by midday the Commissioners
announced an end to the strika
emergency. This lifted the ban
on leave and days off for hard
working policemen, who have
put in thousands of hours of
overtime.
Promptly at 4:09 a.m. the first
bus in 52 days left the central
garage, and 10 minutes later
a street-car pulled out of the
Northeast car barn.
Day Called a Success
By rush hour George T. Key
ser, superintendent of division
of operations and training, called
the day a complete success. “A
good operating day, our usual
kind,” was the way he put it.
Mr. Keyser, checking three of
the 10 divisions, found operators
and drivers were back 99 per
cent—as good or better than an
. average day. A few were ill,
. others had gone on vacations
! and could not be reached.
The streetcars and buses were
maintaining good schedules. But
some runs were held up because
they weren’t needed. Mr. Key
ser said the problems were less
than on a usual day.
“Th operators all returned in
good spirits and a good frame of
mind.” he said. "They are the
best in the United States, and
proved it during the strike with
their orderly manner. They are
a credit to the company and the
union.”
19 Bus Trips Canceled
All streetcar runs were made
this morning, but 19 bus trips
were canceled. Dropping of
these individual trips was called
“not unusual.”
The company reported that of
the 2,009 operators in the sys
tem 1,844 had been heard from.
The other 165 included those
who are ill, or have gone out of
the city. All operators expected
to appear for work on a normal
Monday were on hand.
Latest figures showed that 13
, employes had resigned during
I the strike and that 23 others
, reported they were resigning
today. Several others also are
! presumed to have obtained other
jobs during the strike.
Only two reports of buses
breaking down were received in
' the morning nours. This was
far better than expected in view
!of the long storage of the
| vehicles. There were a coupls
of short stalls because of ac
cidents on the line and one 5 a.m.
power failure on Pennsylvania
avenue, all of which were quickly
remedied.
Moving Routimely
Samuel L. Mahannes of 7918
Thirteenth street N.W.. super
visor of the Georgia avenue ter
minual said buses and street
| Continued on Page A-6, Col. I
POLAND RESISTING
RED DOCTRINES
POLICE STATE—Poland is Com
| munist today, but the Reds there,
faced with stubborn Polish nation
alism, have had to olter their usual
practices. Feature Writer Martin S.
Hayden reveals today. See Page A-4.
Guide for Readers
Amusem’ts A-16-171 Lost, Found A-3
Classified B -11 -18' Obituary . B -10
Comics B-20-21 ißadio-TV 8 19
Editorial A-12 Sports A-18-2-1
Edit’l Articles A-13 Wcmon's
Financial A-22-23 Section 8-4-7
Have The Star Delivered to Your
Home Daily and Sundoy
Dial Sterling 3-5000