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A-14 Fabulous North Wales Being Restored Again By ANNE CHRISTMAS •tu BUB WrlUr WARRENTON, Va., Fell. 28 —North Wafcz, for years Just a tumble-down remnant of it* aristocratic past, is being rebuilt and restored to halt the 10-year Inroads of decay. Unbeknownst to most of the town of Warren ton, S miles away, the once magnificent estate formerly owned by Walter Chrysler, Jr., is being painted and repaired to save it from com- plete deterioration, which local residents figured was Inevitable. The 3,367%-acre property of North Wales was purchased in November by a corporation, known as Parkwood, Inc., and headed by a Washington at torney, Victor J. Orslnger. Orig- 1 Inally valued by Mr. Chrysler at more than $4 million, the his toric show place reportedly had another $7.5 million lavished on Improvements by the Chrys- , elrs. Actually the mansion Itself ! —l3O rooms including 30 baths (one of them with solid gold fixtures)—was In good shape ' until Its most famous tenant gave up his “summer home” officially two years ago. His family hadn’t spent much time in It for seven years, and the lack of occupancy was be- 1 ginning to tell on the old 1 house. It was left unheated for a long time and many pipes burst, even a tremendous stor age tank In the attic which 1 ruined ceilings and floors over a large area. Vandals Get Busy Vandals did their part. too. * toward North Wales’ -down fall. The house was stripped of everything movable and quite a few things not so mov able. The fact that the gold bathroom fixtures remained was a tribute to the perma nency of their Installation. Not much else survived. Seventy - odd outbuildings (227 boxstalls, dozens of cot tages, offices, laboratories, chicken houses and turkey houses) were given a thorough going-over by ransackers who. according to the natives, “swiped everything but the ttrees.” Windows were broken all over the farm, and the grandeur that was North Wales 1 declined steadily. Mr. Chrysler sold his hold ings to former Representative Victor E. Wickersham in 1057, who purchased it with the ex pressed plan of reselling it “as soon as we can get It fixed up.” Fenee Was Keynote But deterioration was moving in fast. The 28 miles of white board fencing was one of the expensive features which was rotting by the day, having been built of rather perishable lumber In the first place. The sagging fencelines seemed to set the keynote, and Warrenton folk expressed loud and fre quent regrets over the fate of the historic estate. Mr. Orslnger, president of the corporation which is the new owner, declines to reveal the cost of repairs now being made at North Wales. “Just call It a substantial sum,” he said. “It is not being spent for improvements, but simply to halt the terrific de terioration. At its present rate. North Wales wouldn’t even be COOK'S HOARD OF RECIPES SAVED FROM SUNKEN SHIP OCEAN CITY, Md. <AP).—When tjie African Queen split in two off Ocean City in December there were seven suitcases aboard worth—in the estimation of one man— a king’s ransom. Stig Olsson was a Swedish cook aboard the vessel. When he was forced to abandon ship with other crew members he thought his culinary goose was cooked. The seven suitcases, which he left behind, contained recipes Mr. Olsson had collected from all over’the world. They were intended for a proposed cookbook of monu mental proportions. Mr. Olsson, who reads and writes several languages, had, with the help of the crew, translated and categorized the recipes. Now at sea aboard another ship, Mr. Olsson is due to arrive in New York Tuesday. It should be a happy land* ing, for the seven suitcases have been located in the hulk and are in the hands of the Coast Guard at Ocean City. Cheverly Will Elect Mayor, 3 Councilmen Residents of Cheverly, Md., will go to the polls tomorrow to elect a new mayor and three council members to two-year terms. f Ballots may be cast from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. In the Tuxedo- Cheverly Elementary School. About 1,800 persons are registered to vote. Beeklng the mayor's post are Mrs. Anna H. Flynn, council member from the sth ward,' and Laurence N. Woodworth, 2d ward councilman. Lawrence Yates, mayor for the past six years, declined to seek re-elec tion. Mrs. Flynn of 3021 Parkway Is serving her fourth term on the council. She was defeated In a bid for the mayor's Job two years ago. A Cheverly resident for 11 years, Mrs. Flynn has taught for the past 10 years in the Tuxedo-Cheverly School. She has two sons, 6 and 11 years old. Mr. Woodworth, 40, of 2810 Crest avenue, has been a coun cilman six years. He moved to the town 14 years ago. Mr. Woodworth is an eco nomist on the v staff of the Joint House Ways and Means- Senate Finance Committee on Capitol Hill. He has four chil dren, daughters 1 and 5 years old, and sons 11 and 13. After the election the six member council and new mayor | will appoint a resident to rep resent the fifth or second ward until elections next year. In the first wafrd, Incumbent John W. Augustine, 67, a two-term veteran, is running against Eugene Meadows, 39. Third ward councilman Wil liam L. Schmidt, 40,- is seeking a fourth term. He is opposed THE SUNDAY STAR WukinftM, 0. C.) Sunday, March t, 1159 worth repairing In a couple of years. "And not only do we realise that the rebuilding Is necessary —we also have a feeling of responsibility for the fast-dis appearing heritage connected with the place. After all, the estate started in 1712; it’s hard to be indifferent about such tradition.” Mr. Chrysler stocked North Wales with the cream of Ameri can breeding stock in thorough bred horses. He spent un counted thousands and, al though the progeny won close to $1.5 million at the track in a nine-year experiment, none of them turned out to be “classic’' horses. Money couldn’t buy a Derby winner for the Chryslers, and in 1040 they turned to beef cattle. / Interest Waned It wasn’t long before the Chryslers’ interest in North Wales waned. They centered their attention on various other homes they maintained on a year-round basis, and North Wales was taken over mostly by memories and termites. Finally, it was sold to Mr. Wicker sham, whose two-year owner ship wound up In the sale to Mr. Orslnger. "We were determined to have people occupying the tenant houses." he said, "because we’re sure that people, no mat ter who they are, treat houses better than the elements do. Practically everything on North Wales was In disrepair, and we’re doing everything we can to bring it back. The future? "About 2,500 acres we hope to sell for estates.” he said. "In the spring, we hope to start dividing it into 50-acre farms for homes costing around $75,- 000 to SIOO,OOO. “The Kennels" "The plans for the mansion Itself are long-range, but we hope to interest some large foundation in a non-sectarian research and educational cen ter for younger, disturbed and troubled children," Mr. Orslnger declared. The cost of maintaining fine old Virginia traditions is con siderable; the mansion is now being heated, in the interest of preservation, for about S4OO per month. There are many refinements not to be found in split-level ramblers today; for example, the 32-inch stone walls that separate the rooms on tbs ground level, or the $1,500 doors (six sets of them) that decorate the ballroom. Marble mantles are everywhere, and exquisite Delft blue tiles surround one fireplace in a bedroom. The greenhouse has woodwork dons in real bark, now peeling a bit, and there are many mahogany staircases in North Wales. by Alexander Carlow, 40, and | George Damall, 42. The sixth ward council can didate is R. Gordon Harris, ■ 44, who is making his first bid > for elected office. Councilman | John Dorr, did not file for 1 re-election. Council members receive : $l5O annually, and the mayor, ; S2OO. \ I Students Open Science Fair Rollingcraft Junior High : School in West Hyattsville, Md. opened Its second annual science fair last night display ing the work of some 280 students. The ■'exhibits, handiwork of seventh, eighth and ninth graders, ranged from a study of the Navy’s Vanguard rocket project to mental diseases. The fair will be open from 2 | to 5 p.m. today with the awards program scheduled for 3 p.m. The display will be open from . 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. tomorrow. The fair Is directed by Mrs. i Mary Lynn, science teacher. ig’ 'Opr*** <<- - 5 ' * * m / wim ; W'v> «_#* < 'J, SM !» - ‘ if*# * -V' A , ■■ -' STUDENT ROCKET LAUNCHER—David Staltus (right), physics teacher at Wakefield High School in Arlington, gives some last minute instructions to Steve Zawacki, a member of the school’s Rocket Society. Steve was one of 150 teen-agers who participated yesterday in a launch ing of home-made rockets at Camp A.P. Hill, Va.—Star Staff Photo. Juvenile Missilemen Launch Rockets at Camp A. P. Hill By JOHN LEYDEN I Star Staff Wrltar CAMP A. P. HILL. Va., Feb. 28.—Some 150 teen-agers—half of them from Northern Vir ginia—staged a mass launching of home-made rockets here today. Amateur rocketeers «a m e from as far away gs Monroe. N. Y., and Hartford, Conn., to participate in the day-long program. The first successful missile firing came at 1:40 pm. Built by the Mount Vernon High School Rocket Club, the 4-foot silver rocket roared off the launching pad in a cloud of smoke and reached an altitude of 1,700 feet and a speed of 165 feet per second before run ning out of fuel. Two prevlSus launching at tempts ended in failure when the rockets burned out on the pad. Wide Size Range The missiles ranged in size frpm small 6-inch ones to s towering 11-foot, two-stage model built by 16-year-old Guy Gruters of the Fair Lawn (N. J.) Rocket Society. Highlight of the day was to have been the firing a compli cated three-stage rocket built by Oerd Nathan. 27. of Balti more, but the 3%-foot missile failed on the launching pad. D'Alesandro to Face Tough Foe in Grady BALTIMORE, Peb. 28 <AP).| Thomas D'Alesandro, Jr., i who has served in public offices for 32 of his 55 years, ap parently has a tougher fight than most observers an ticipated in his bid for the Democratic nomination to his fourth four-year term for mayor of Baltimore on Tues day. His chief opponent is J. ] Harold Grady, presently Balti more’s State’s attorney. Until the past week, Mr. Grady’s chief attributes were his good .looks, his compara tive youth (he's 42), hla back ground as an FBI agent and his record as a competent State's attorney. Pollack Gets Plums But last Wednesday Gov. Tawes, who has announced his support for Mayor D'Ale sandro, submitted his political appointments to the State Senate for confirmation. And the bulk of the plums went to Jack Pollack, a recognized political boss. Mr. Grady, running on a “Good Government” ticket, im mediately launched a vigorous front that if Mayor D’Alesan dro were re-elected, the polit ical bosses, not the elected offi cials, would rule the city. Mayor D’Alesandro, however, is campaigning on his record for Improving streets, getting adequate housing and pay raises for the public servants. The betting fraternity is tak ing all it can get on Mayor D’Alesandro, the favorite, at odds of about 8-5. Mr. D’Alesandro has the city organization and most of the community political cliques be hind him. Mr, Grady, on the other hand, has concentrated on women’s groups and civic clubs. His office contends he has 1,500 unpaid volunteers stumping the neighborhoods to try to get out the vote to combat organization tactics. Papers Support Grady The Baltimore Sunpapers, in a front-page editorial in Sun day’s edition, urged election of Grady because of “a situation so ugly that it would be a fail ure of duty not to speak out.” The influence of Pollack, the editorial said, "pervades the whole structure of our city gov I For the Washington area [participants, the live launch ings were the culmination of a 15-week course in the science of rocketry. Sponsored jointly by the Army and the National Capital Section of the American Rocket Society, the course was con ducted by Lt. Col. C. M. Parkin, jr„ at Fort Belvoir. Earlier Col. Parkin gave the youthful rocketeers a dramatic demons*,ration of the danger of unsupervised missile firings. He placed (wo paper-stuffed mani kins beside the launching pad and then purposely exploded a rocket he had made himself. The dummies were demolished. But despite this, the prevail ing atmosphere at the missile range was a mixture of Coney Island and Cape Canaveral. Spectators Cheer Spectators who lined the bunkers some 200 yard; from the launching pad munched hot dogs, drank soda and cheered when there was a successful firing. • For the young missile men, however, the launchings were serious business. Members of different societies discussed the merit of designs and fuels. Gilbert Fritz, 16, vice presi ernment and extends out into ikey areas of the State govern | ment. “The Pollack influence is based on an alliance with Mayor D'Alesandro, and through him with Gov. Tawes. Mayor D'Alesandro is first, last and always a machine politi cian to whom the business of getting and keeping elected is jail that really matters. "For this purpose he depends ' absolutely on his long-standing alliance with Mr. Pollack. The Pollack function is to get him renominated and elected—Bnd then collect byway of patron "lf Mr. D’Alesandro gets the nomination next Tuesday, the one certain and predictable re sult will be a tightening of the i Pollack grip on the structure \ of our city’s government.” ! PRINCE GEORGES TELESCOPE CLASS GRINDS MIRRORS A telescope-mirror class Is grinding away in the Prince Georges County school system. Each Wednesday, 13 pu pils from Bladensburg and Hyattsville Junior High Schools work on grinding mirrors for 6-inch reflec tor-type telescopes they plan to build. The classes are held in the Materials Center, situ ated In the former Varnum School in Bladensburg. William Isherwood, a mem ber of the National Capital Astronomers, has been in structing the class. The activity was started on the suggestion of How ard B. Owens, supervisor of secondary education. Other children are sched uled to join when the pres ent group has finished Its work. ‘ The youngsters will con struct the tube, tripod and other parts of the tele scopes at home or in school workshops. dent of the Wakefield High School Rocket Society, told re porters his group likes to use a fuel mixture of potassium ni trate and sugar. “We find it develops two to three times as much energy as zinc and sulphur < another solid rocket fuel),” he added. Two of the most disappoint ed rocketeers were Susi Eigen, 17, and Annette Franklin, 16. students at Wakefield High. The only two girls to complete the missile course at Ft. Bel voir. they have been building a rocket but did not finish it in time for the firings today. They did contribute some thing to the success of the day. however. They made the dum mies Col. Parkin used in his safety demonstration. Other area schools repre sented were Washington-Lee, Annandale, Falls Church and St. John’s High schools and , Jefferson Junior High. y- Ilyina VmW HEARING AID I at The Hecht Co. SALE! 7x50 CENTRAL L *•* 50 FOCUS BINOCULARS WITH CASE Full-powered, offers important h A rA K thrilling fidelity Voiue I /\ I ond realism Come ot i"** in for a demon- plus t»* stration. We carry batteries for Perfect for oil sports ond nature most makes of observation. Magnification 7x50 mm hearing aids. objective lenses. Comes complete with Optical Shop, street Floor handsome pigskin case and straps. Washington and silver Spring Don't delay—our quantity is limited! ' "V Sole! 7x35 Binocular with Casa Magnification 7x35 with objective lenses, pigskin case. 9.95 - I Y r.' plus tax \ \ Moil Your ® r Coll NA - *-5100 iiff J anytime. high fashion N y eyeglass frames 4.95 TJJ ))/ See for yourself the tremendous values ’ftjl • Jr/ in this selection of quality-made im \\ J/i .j-J ported and domestic frames. Not all sizes and colors in every style (thot's // r ~ Jnr why they're so low priced) but there 'All /jr ore hundreds from which to choose. hr Make it a family affair; we've styles >— . . , for men, women ond children. Optical Shop—Street Floor. Washington (r ~~ an<t Sl>Vtr SVTlng , ... sHHII I ■ ® Montgomery Debating Public Utilities Tax Montgomery County lawmakers, hard pressed far additional revenue sources, will be advised this week to place a maximum 5 per cent tax on earnings of public utilities. County Manager M. L. Reese is expected to make the recommendaUon to the County Council at its meeting on Tuesday. The council, which reportedly is receptive to the plan, has scheduled a meeting Tuesday night with the county’s delega tion to the Oeneral Assembly. Council members are ex pected to ask the delegation to sponsor legislation which would enable imposition of the new tax levy on public utility earn ings estimated at S3O million next year. Officials estimate the full 5 per cent utility tax would net $1.6 million in revenue next year. The affected utilities would be the Potomac Electric Power Warren Board Studying Anti-Integration Plea FRONT ROYAL, Va., Feb. 28 (Bpecial).—The Warren County Board of Supervisors has under consideration a plea to cut off public school funds as a curb on desegregation. The request was presented the board today by Jack Crouse, a foreman at the American Viscose Corp. plant here, who said, “We don’t want any integrated schools in Warren County and we will not pay for them." i "We are hoping.” he said, “the Board of Supervisors will not spend the money for some thing we do not want.” Mr. Crouse gave the board a petition urging the governing body not to appropriate funds for desegregated schools during the 1050-60 school year. The petition includes about 3,000 signatures. The plan is similar to one proposed by the Norfolk City j Council earlier this year which would have cut off funds from secondary schools there to avoid desegregation. Federal District Judge Wal jter E. Hoffman declared the! Norfolk plan unconstitutional. The Warren County petition points out that a new Negro school for elementary and high! school children will be com pleted by September. It states: “In the event all Negroes do not wish to attend the facilities provided for them at the new school, it is evident that it is Wool Producers To Meet Thursday CHARLOTTESVILLE. Va., Feb. 28 «Special).—Members of the Albemarle Wool Pool will meet at 9:30 a.m. Thursday in the auditorium of the Virginia Electric and Power Company building here. The pool is made up of wool producers from Albemarle, Flu vanna and parts of Bucking ham County. Lamed D. Ran dolpy of North Garden is pool | manager. , ■- - Co., Washington Oas Light Co. and the Chesapeake and Po , tomac Telephone Co. I Mr. Reese proposed a similar tax plan two years ago, but the ■ council disapproved it. i His aim is to lighten any ad dition to the present tax bur > den carried by homeowners. ; The present tax rate of $2.18 , per SIOO assessed valuation is expected to be Increased in I April when the council’s new ' budget is adopted. i not an education that they I want.” Mr. Crouse said the majority of Warren County residents feel that “the only thing to do is set up private schools.” Warren County High School was closed by State law last 1 September in an attempt to block desegregation. Only 21 Negro students en rolled when it reopened Feb ruary 18. None of the 800 white i pupils attending private schools showed up for classes at the ' public school. Fairfax School Workshops Set Dr. Herman Schneider, lec turer in science education at 1 the City College of New York. | will open the Fairfax County School Science Workshops [ Tuesday through Thursday. Dr. Schneider formerly was supervisor of science for the New York City Elementary Schools and is the author of the Heath science textbook series used in Fairfax schools. The workshops will be held ’ from 3:30 to 5 p.m. at the fol- I lowing places: Tuesday, Wake i field Forest Elementary School; i Wednesday, Graham Road Ele ■ mentary School; Thursday, Hollin Hall Elementary School. I Other school science work ■ shops will be held March 10 ■ and 17 at Wakefield Forest, ■ March 11 and 18 at Graham I Road, and March 12 and 19 at Hollin Hall. Perrow Asks Public Aid in School Plans RICHMOND. Va., Feb. 28 (AP).—The chairman of the new school study commission today voiced hope again that “all dedicated and patriotic citizens” of Virginia with any valid and workable suggestions will present them at a public hearing at the State capitol Friday. State Senator Mosby G. Per row. Jr., of Lynchburg Issued his plea in behalf of the com mission. At the same time it was announced at least 26 per sons had filed requests for speaking time at the hearing. The 40-man commission, in cluding 17 State Senators and 23 Delegates, was appointed by Gov. Almond to work up a legis lative program that would minimize, if not roll back, the racial’integration which began four weeks ago in Virginia pub lic schools. How the commission would accomplish this has not been made clear' Its meetings so far have been closed. Beyond his general comment on public participation at the hearing, Mr. Perrow had noth ing to say on speciflo questions concerning a proposed boycott of the hearing by the Defend ers of State Sovereignty and Individual Liberties. The public hearing is sched uled* to begin at 9 a.m. in the hall of the House of Delegates. If necessary, a second day will be set aside to hear speakers. | Skating Program To Benefit Club A roller skating benefit pro gram for the Prince Georges County Boys Club building fund will be held tomorrow from 7 p.m. to midnight at the Bla densburg Roller Rink. A bake sale and variety show will be offered along with a demonstration by prize-winning Skaters Thomas Lawless, 17, of 3133 Queens Chapel road, Mount Rainier, will be presented a Boy of the Year plaque by a repre sentative of Gov. Tawes. Young Lawless, a senior at Northwest ern High School, was selected by the Boys Club board of di rectors from candidates sub-, mitted by 30 club units. About $20,000 already has 'been raised for the building, according to Mrs. Vera Hash, chairman of the fund drive and chairman of the county Board of Recreation. 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