The Indianapolis Star from Indianapolis, Indiana • Page 1

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180 ft VJ If (Q) infoinn Li Li 1 pflOflfpAfp ULZ3 1 Fight Holocaust Poice, FBI Hunt Stolen Jewels fij fi, TUESDAY MOHNIN(i( i I 1 Firemen i i 1( i 9 1 I I Hospitals Count 96 Children As Seriously Hurt Chicago (UPI) Fire and murderous black smoke mushroomed through an old Roman Catholic parochial school yesterday, trapping and killing children at their desks or as they fled through corridors. Ninety persons, 87 of them children, were killed. The Cook County Morgue, a scene of tragedy and pandemonium where sobbing parents thronged to identify their young, said it had received the bodies of three nuns, 53 little girls, 34 boys, and of a child whose sex could not be immediately determined. Coroner's office officials said there were no more bodies in the Our Lady of the Angels School or in five surrounding hospitals. At least 96 children were injured, some in the holocaust which engulfed the two-story school just a half hour before 1,700 children would have been dismissed from classes.

Many of the injured were children who jumped in flames from second story windows of the building, which had only one fire escape. Some were not expected to live. i ,,,1 Chicago (LTD Diamonds valued at $1,500,000 were reported stolen yrstcrday from the vault of a prominent Chicago hotel, and the JBl promptly moved into the case. The theft was discovered by Charles Stager, a salesman for the New York diamond brokerage of Henry Wmsion tt when he went to place another half-million dollars worth of gems in the vault. Richard D.

Auerhach, agent In charge of the Chicago FBI Office, laid the Federal agency was "up to ita neck" In the Investigation of the theft from the Congress Hotel. Police were puzzled how the mounted diamonds i a p-peared from the vault, because it is inaccessible to the public. Lt Charles Pierson of the burglary squad taid it locked like a "good gang of jewel thieves" learned ahout the gems and pulled the, theft. Stager also possessed the only key to the jewel case, pier ion said. The jewel disappeared, Stager told police, apparently sometime between Sunday afternoon and noon yesterday.

Jfcager told police he arrived here Friday, and placed the diamonds in the vault on the first floor r.f the hotel. Stager said he displayed his gem to several wealthy per-ions over the week end, replacing his jewelry case into The Weather Joe Crow Says: glng by the cost of gymnasia ior our high schools, basketball may rank among the nation's most expensive inventions. Indianapolis Increa sing cloudiness today; not much change in temperature, with chance of occasional light ram late this afternoon or tonight. Tartly cloudy and colder children, perijhed in the on the city's West Side, moss of flames following on (AP Wirephoto) Firemen on the roof ond ground battling 1o control a fire in Our Lady of the Angels Romon Catholic grade school in Chicago yesterday. At least 90 fj L-M 4 U.S.

Warns Of Berlin War Peril Berlin (UPI) Fresh Fast German demands for control of the allied lifelines to Berlin yesterday drew a warning that the United States would consider any ast German attack an assault by the Soviet Union and would defend self "even at the cost of war." Informed sources, amplifying a statement made Sunday by Gen. Henry I. Hodes. U. S.

Army Commander in Europe, said the United States would defend itself against eny Red attack. The sources emphasized the United States felt such an attack highly unlikely at present. Hodes had said at a West Berlin news conference that any action against the American garrison in Berlin would become a military matter and "I know what I will do." BUT THE East Germans, capitalizing on Russia's avowed intention of turning West Berlin into a "demilitarized free continued to acitate for withdrawal of the Western Allies at best and at least recognition from them. East German Foreign Minister Lnthar Bote denied that there are any existing agreements giving the United States. Britain and France the right to travel to Berlin.

Jn a speech to the Communist-dominated "national front" in East Berlin, Bolz went beyond previous East German challenges to the Western air and land mutes to West Berlin. He said no agreements ever were made on them and none exist now. "Berlin was a part of the Soviet occupation zone and today is a part of the (Communist) German Democratic Republic," he said. THE WEST does not recognize the government of East Germany, and any agreement by the Allies to deal with the East Germans on the question of routes to Berlin might be taken as implied recognition. Bolz denied that the four-power agreements giving the Western powers and Russia administration of Berlin in any way changed that fart that all Berlin is a part of East Germany.

But Informed Western sources said the United States had no intention of withdraw-mg or leaving its troops in Berlin at the mercy of the Communists. "The U.S. is determined to defend its troops in Berlin even at the cost of war," the sources said. They addod that if East Gcr man forces were to attack, the United States would consider the Soviet Union party to it. Dr.

Nesler said the disease, for which there is no preventive or cure, runs in three-year cycles, infecting a new "crop" of children just as they reach the age to mingle with other children. 'HIGHLY INFECTIOUS, the disease becomes dangerous be-cause of "complications" which Sometimes set in that can cause pneumonia or encephalitis, an inflammation of the brain known as "sleeping sickness." "This will give us a real weapon against the disease. Now we have no medicine to use," Dr. Ncster said. National Public Health officials said there are fewer deaths from measles hctause of improved feeding of infants.

I mi ii Jj Z3L their school books open before them. It was presumed that their teacher, knowing escape was Impossible through the smoke-filled corridors, had told the children to await rescue. They obeyed and died, apparently when smoke overcame them or when the fire's heat exhausted the oxygen in the room. A father, Max Stachura, stood outside the burning school, begging his little boy, Mark. 9, to jump into his arms.

Children were falling all about the father and he caught or stopped the fall of 12 of them. But little Mark was too frightened or he didn't under-stand his father. Mark didn't jump and he was among the missing and feared dead last night. ANOTHER father. Daniel Grimaldi, was luckier.

He dashed into the building searching for his children. Students grabbed at his hand and he led them downstairs. Still searching for his children, Grimaldi opened a classroom door, but had to slam it in the face of a blast of furnace-like heat. Later, his two youngsters were found safe. For the others, the waiting and the anguish continued into the night.

The basement of the morgue had the atmosphere of delirium as doctors, policemen and attendants shouted to each other. Fathers were brought downstairs in groups of seven to look at the small, covered bundles. One, John JakowskI screamed "Oh, my Cod, my boy, my Cod, my boy. He had just lifted a sheet and Turn to Page 24, Column 2 My Buddy, Michael Gi-acomino he's 13 he was in the classroom there with me and he says he heard a lot of kids screaming and crying and yelling for their brothers and sisters. But I didn't notice that too much.

Well, we started going down the stairs and M.ke tells me lie saw flames coming out of the first floor washroom. WHILE I was going down, the smoke got so thick I couldn't see my way down the stairs and this other buddy of mine Basil de Stefano I heard him cry real loud. "Let's try to get out. Everybody hold to my shirt." So we grabbed Basil's shirt in a line like and start going down and out the building. I have no idea how many kids got down and how many didn't.

Tart of the kids got down one set of stairs and part got down another. o) Fire Commissioner Robert Quinn ordered an investigation to determine whether the fire, one of the worst in Chicago's memory, was set by an arsonist. The FBI said in Washing- Other Stories And Pictures On Pages 20 And 24 ton that it was working in "close liaison" with the investigation. Meanwhile, a search was ordered for a man reported by a grocery owner to have been loitering about the school. The school building, once used as a church, had por tions which were more than 40 years old.

Although It had a large English-style base ment. It was classed as a two-story building and fire officials aid it lawfully required only the one fire escape. Quinn said the building; had been Inspected by fire Inspectors only a week ago and its fire precautions had been approved. At the height of the fire, children died at their desks, children Jumped screaming from the windows, a nun rolled children down the stairs and a father begged in vain for his little boy to jump into his arms. In the aftermath, scach-lights played across the fire-blackened school.

Hysterical parents crowded the street corners, begged doctors in hos pital emergency rooms for news of their children, and then went in ashen-faced fear to the morgue basement and to a police station where headquarters were set up for identification of the dead. The death count Jumped by the 10's and 20's. Firemen found 24 children at their desks In one room, the vault after a prospective sala, STAGER, who said his firm was the largest individual diamond broker in the nation, disclosed he had wired his New York office for another half-million dollars worth of diamonds Sunday and, on ihiir arrival vestnrdiiv. he went to the vault to place them with the other jewels and discovered the theft. The salesman said he didn't caler to the usual diamond trade, but generally dealt with wealthy individuals seeking apPTpnate diamond pieces for g.fts.

Hoiiih Calls Koul Pupils In I Schools lv lctntAl Bomb scares sent hundreds of children scurrying from three schools in the South- yesterday. Anonymous telephone callers warned of bombs in school at Hickory, Anderson. S. and Harr.son-burg. Va.

Ahout 1. 000 pupils fled the Hickory school when a man telephoned police and ssid there was a bomb in the building. The call was traced to a p3y station, but the man had fled by the time police arrived. IT WAS THE fifth time In little more than a week that a hool in North Carolina had been the target o'f a bomb threat. Some 700 students left (lasses at the all girls Hannah High sthfol at Anderson after a bomb threat.

Authorities later called the bomb warning a hoax. School was dismissed for. the day. In Virginia, more than fi00 children fled from the Harrisonburg high school after a telephone caller warned that the building would blow up in 30 minutes. Wont Ads 37-43 Weather 23 Werner .22 Women's Pages culty in killing the virus so it would not cause measles and yet would form a vaccine still potent enough to protect against the disease.

They plan to make the virus harmless with formaldehyde solution, widely used in the medical field as a disinfectant and preservative. The same chemical is used in killing the polio virus. IN THE FIRST 1 1 months of 1958 there have been more than 700,000 cases of measles 81 compared to about 500,000 the previous year. Dr. Henry G.

Ncster, public health director, said there were 5.546 cases of measles in the county in with one death. Last year thrre were only I.312 cases In the county and no deaths, he said. li 7w If iU burned off of some of the charred bodies of boys and girls. It began with deceptive excitement. There was the noise, and some smoke.

A PRIEST, Father Joseph Ognoibcne, said he drove up 111 Child Cocs To Fire Death Chicago (LTI Margaret Chamber was a little girl who didn't like to he sick. The child, 9, stayed home from class at Our Lady of the Angels school yesterday morning with a cold. But her mother, Mrs. Rose Chambers said she complained constantly. "I don't want to stay home," the grlef-strlcken mother quoted her daughter.

"I don't like being sick." Mrs. Chambers said she finally relented and permitted Margaret to attend class yesterday afternoon. Margaret was one of the children who died In the fire and explosion which swept lha school. perjonj, mostly fire. The school, become a explosion.

fy or seeking news hove been holocaust. ii in mil mm 1 -1 I.YSini: TODAY'S STAIl ELECTION CINCHED Gen. Chorles de Goulle given tteor field to run for presidency of Fronce's new Fifth Republic Page 2 ADIAI WILL NOT RUN-Twice beoten. presidential con-didate soys will net seek the 1960 nomination fg 7 FCC PUNISHMENT ADVISED Jumt tells commision Miami firm used "improper pressure" on Richord A. Mock Pog '3 NIKE DESTROYS SUPERSONIC DRONE Missile hits plone going more than 1,500 miles on hour, Page 19 certainty grips them while of a relotiva who may a casuolty or eicofed the (AP Wirephoto) Porenti wotching the flames envelop Our lody of the Angels grade school on Chicago's West Side yester-day afternoon reocting as uncertoin- 7.7.v 5(ir the lionnoiv II F.I.I) TO SHIKT Pupil Stricken By Fright Editorials ..22 Food 11 Radio-TV ..23 Spons Theaters .23 Campbell .36 Comics 30 Crossword Punle ...18 Deaths ..31, 37 Schoolboy Tells Of His Escape Anti-Measles Vaccine Expected Within Year to the school shortly after the fire began.

"I thought it was a fire drill. Then 1 saw the smoke and knew ii was the real thing." he said. The trapped children were mostly seventh and eighth graders whose class rooms were on the second floor. While ambulances and fire trucks jammed the street, and mothers sought frantically for their children, Mrs. Mary Jalowietki stood weeping outside her house across the street from the school.

"I SAW the kids come out of the school," she told a reporter. "My son, Ronald, was one of the first out." The boy was unhurt. Again she sobbed. "The kids on the second floor were leaping out the windows. At least 10 jumped.

This was after I went into the school. It was full of smoke. The smoke hit me snd I came right back. "And there they were five or six sitting or laying on the ground. They were full of blood.

It was awful." Chicago (AP) "I can't stop shaking." Joseph Brocato, II years old. said this to a doctor who stopped this afternoon to look at him in busy St. Anne's Hospital where victims of the Lady of The An-gels Parochial School fire were brought. The words gushed out in spates. "We heard it.

We were emptying the wastebaskc. in the basement. "It was a boom in the furnace room. And the janitor ran out. 5.

"He shoutcJ to us to get upstairs." JOSEPH and his companionhe didn't name the other boy ran upstairs. They were herded out of the school. Later, his father brought him Into the hospital because the shaking wouldn't slop. Joseph wasn't burned. He didn't have to jump.

He only saw the horror. It was a heartbreaking thing as firemen carried victims down Into the milling throng of youngsters and older people. Clothes were Gnry 'ningrr, It jfr oW, ia in hia $rvrnth grmin rlttniroom oh ihn rcwi flnnr of Lnii'J of Anprl Srhnol hrn a ire brofco out yrxtfrdny. Thi is hi ilory ny GARY WASSINCkR As Told lo UP International Chicago I was sitting in class and just happened to look up at the clock and I saw it was 2: SO. That's when it all began.

I looked toward the door and I saw some smoke coming through the door. So I turned around to tell the boy behind me and everybody saw it then. too. ABOUT 10 seconds later gee, it didn't seem more than 10 seconds the fire gong rang. We all heard the fire bell and then we knew this was for real.

Our nun opened the door and everybody ran out. A couple of boys fell while we were running out and I think they broke their legs. Perfection of an a 1 1-measles vaccine may be only a year away, Eli Lilly ft Co. scientists announced yesterday. The drug company's revelation came on the heels of a National Public Health Service report showing measles caused 410 deaths, in 1057 nearly double that of polio.

Dr. Thoma P. Carney, the drug firm'a vice-president in charge of research, said the vaccine will be made from dead measles virus, much like Salk anti-polio vaccina la manufactured. BUT LILLY uses chick env bryo tissue culture instead of monkey kidney tissue to prow the virus, a company spokesman said. Scientists found some diffi i Ii.