Reno Gazette-Journal from Reno, Nevada • Page 13

1 REN 0 EVENING GAZETTE PHONE 3-3161 RENO, NEVADA, MONDAY, JULY 23, 1956 PAGE THIRTEEN Fight oser sn convention Farrell Seevers to Head State Democrat Delegates TONOPAII In a calculated move aimed at the political embarrassment of U.S. Sen. Alan Bible, Nevada's delegates to the Democratic national convention named State Sen. Farrell Seevers And, during the weekend Tonopah meeting high lighted by the appearance of presidential hopeful Adlai Stevenson, the delegates squabbled about everything from --c FxC" i i ers of silt and debris from homes and lawns, attempting to restore some semblance of order to the stricken area. Although no estimates have been released, it is expected to total thousands of dollars in property damage and allied losses from the flash flood.

See page 5 for more pictures. (Christensen photo) THE AFTERMATH I lard hit Melba Drive in northwest Reno, directly in the path of raging rain torrents from nearby Peavine mountain early Friday night, was being cleaned up today by city crews using several pieces of equipment, small ski-loaders and road graders. Residents along the way were bringing out contain- Flood CI Continues ct to Prevent More Loss A DEMOCRATS CONFER Farrell Seevers, left, state senator from Mineral county confers with presidential hopeful Adlal Stevenson during course of a gathering in Tonopah Saturday of Nevada's delegates to Democratic national convention in Chicago, Seevers was named chairman of Nevada delegation. RESCUERS REMOVE GIRL FROM CLIFF IN SIERRA Injured Stockton Youngster Carried To Safety from Mountain A 10-man rescue party, scaling a cliff on the steep side of 000-foot Raymond peak, 11 mile ty, Sunday effected the rescue of Judy Hatfield, 15-year-old high school girl from Stockton, night and half of Sunday on the Miss Hatfield, her parents and the girl and her father started down the precipitous side of as their spokesman. Stevenson flew off for a weekend rest at Lake Tahoe with only four delegate votes just of a vote more than he already had at the time the delegates were chosen at the state convention in Lovelock two months ago.

His arch rival. New York Gov. Averell Harriman, wound up with 6Vi votes compared with the big zero he had at Lovelock. i A number of factors are in the Harriman total, not the least of which is the energetic spade work done by the party's new national committeeman, William K. Wood- burn, and Reno Attorney John Squire Drendel.

Harriman did himself some good, too, with per sonal telephone calls and letters to several delegates earlier in the week. Then, too, some of those indi eating a preference for Harri- maji did so only as strategy to stop Stevenson's nomination. In addition to the GVz votes for Harriman and the 4 for Stevenson, remaining delegates indicated 2 votes for Sen. Stuart Symington, Vz vote for Sen. Lyn don Johnson and one vote still undecided.

MAKES WISE CRACKS In his brief talk in the Tonopah high school, Stevenson exercised his falent for wisecracks freely as he lambasted the Eisenhower administration as a "single in-teret" party. This administration has been neglectful of the interests of or dinary people," he charged. "It has just a single interest the few instead of the many." He declared that, in his recent campaign through 45 states, he has noted a re-birth of the Democratic party "despite the fact the Elsenhower administration has enjoyed a Republican press like no predecessor in history." Stevenson said he was spend ing two or three days on the Ne vada side of Lake Tahoe with old friends, but declined to disclose their names or the location of their home. "I just want to get a little rest and do some reading," he said. He was accompanied only by his nephew, Timothy Ives of Bloomington, I1L, and his executive assistant, William Blair, jr.

Hy Raskin, co-manager of his campaign, went on to Las Vegas after arriving with the party in Tonopah. JONES IS TARGET Former Lt Gov. Clifford Jones was the target of considerable resentful bar talk as a result of his riding in the big black convertible which carried Stevenson from the Tonopah airport into town. Stevenson rode in tront witn William Beko, Nye county Demo cratic chairman who arranged the meeting, while Jones squeezed into the back with former Gov. Pittman and C.

D. Baker, the party's state chairman. The seat occupied by Jones was reportedly reserved for the party's treasurer, Wilbur Clark, but he, apparently didn't arrive in time. Another squabble broke out the delegate meeting after it had ratified previous action taken by Baker in appointing Nevada members of the national conven tion committees. Those who led the anti-Bible i move tried to Dounce vjiojh Sawyer of Elko off the platform committee by substituting Malcolm McEachin of Reno.

But the meeting had gotten so confused by this time that prearranged strategy fell apart and Sawyer remained on the committee by a vote of 12-6. Others named to committees were Mary Wells of Las Vegas, platform; William Crowell, Carson, organization; Joe 1 a Reno, rules; Pittman, notification of the presidential nominee; Richard Ham, Las Vegas, notifi cation of the vice presidential choice; and Press Duff in, Cali- ente, credentials. Washoe Project Approval Given In U. S. Senate Measure Sent To President; tl Fund Bill Later The U.

S. Senate today passed the $43,700,000 Washoe project bill and sent it to President Eisenhower for his signature. The measure was approved by the House of Representatives Satur day. Money for the rroiect. soon sored by Rep.

Cliff Young of Ne vada and this state two senators, George W. Malone and Alan Bible must be voted by congress later. UP TO PRESIDENT The bill should bp on, PrpsMpnt Eisenhower's desk by late Tues day, and the long fight to get Nevada's biggest reclamation- power project development since Hoover dam will be up to the president, according to Malone. Prior to house approval last Saturday house-senate conferees met earlier in the week to dis cuss language difficulties con tained in the bill regarding the controversial 160-acre limitation. Sen.

Malone reported from Washington that it was decided to allow land holders with more than 160 acres to pay for supplemental water on "the basis of ability" as judged by the U. Bureau of Reclamation. TRAP WASTE WATER The Washoe project, if signed into law, will trap about 72,000 acre-teet or water each year which is now being wasted. This water will supply supplemental ir rigation to approximately 44,460 acres in Carson Valley, Empire, Dayton and Fort Churchill plus a full water supply to another 5100 acres. Sen.

Malone said about 28,000 kilowatts of electricity will be produced by power plants on the Little Truckee river and the east fork of the Carson river. "Land reclamation, electrical power, fish and wildlife develop ment and flood prevention are the most Important features of the bill, the senior senator said. Division of funds into various categories under the project in eludes about $17,000,000 to be al located to irrigation and drainage, $18,000,000 to power, $6,000,000 for flood control and $2,000,000 for fish and wildlife development The project will give drainage service to approximately 31,000 acres of land included in the irri gation development and provide a steady flow of water to lands in the Truckee river and Newlands projects. The cost to the government will be paid back over a period of 50 years with the exception of that money which is used for flood con trol and the building, operation and maintenance of fish and wild life facilities. The fish and wildlife provision, urged in the senate bill by Malone, provides for increased water re leases from Lake Tahoe and the restoration of the Pyramid Lake fishery.

RECLAEW LANDS "The project will reclaim new agricultural lands, give Nevada sorely-needed electrical energy and prevent costly floods," Ma lone pointed out. The first big boost given the Washoe project by congress was in 1938 when army engineers were authorized to make a flood con trol survey of the Truckee river and its tributaries. In 1952 hear ings were held in Reno by a sen ate public works subcommittee, headed by Malone, on flood control, power and water resource development of the Truckee and Carson rivers. Legislation introduced in May, 1954, by the late Senator Pat Mc- Carran authorized construction of the Washoe project flood control work on the Truckee at its. mouth at Lake Tahoe and along the channel in the Reno area.

A rivers and harbors bill passed the same year approved $960,000 for flood control but required the reclamation-power program be approved before any work could start. The project if approved by the executive branch will be included in the final appropriation bill by congress. eland S. Day Succumbs Here Leland Stanford Day, 63, a Bridgeport, rancher died to day at a Reno hospitaL He had been under treatment here for a month and a half. He was a native of Bridgeport.

He is survived by two sons, Le land G. Day of Bridgeport, and Charles E. Day of Smith Valley; a sister, Mrs. Norman Annett of Smith Valley-; and two granddaughters, Wilma Lucile Day and Carolyn Lois Day, both of Smith Valley. Funeral arrangements will be announced by the Ross-Burke Co.

procedure to philosophy. By the time the delegate meeting ended, one wag joked that the Nevada group won't get beyond Kansas City on its way to the Chicago convention. They'll wind up fighting over what train to take," he predict ed. HEAD OF PARTY Election of a delegation chair man came after Julien Sourwine, one or tne tnree candidates op posing Bible for re-nomination to the. senate, nominated him for the delegation chairmanship on the grounds he is the titular head of the party, "Any other action would amount to a repudiation of the senator by this delegation," said Sourwine in his nominating speech.

Then the delegation, by secret ballot, voted 15 to 13 to elect Seevers. Another of Bible's opponents, Atty. Gen. Harvey Dickerson, earlier has announced he likewise was supporting Bible for the post because he would lend influence to the Nevada delegation in Chi cago. BROWN FOR SEEVERS Bible's third opponent, Clark county Sen.

B. Mahlon Brown, openly worked for Seevers Former Gov. Van Pittman nominated Charles Bell of Las Veeas as delegation vice chair man, but this effort also met with failure, The job went to Bruce Dalton, head of the Reno sanitation de partment, by a vote of 17-11. Las Vegas newspaperman Ray Germain was unanimously elect ed delegation secretary. VISIT IS NOVELTY Stevenson's visit obviously was novelty both to him and to Tonopah.

Flying from Cheyenne, in air so rough his nephew re ceived a cut on the head from bouncing baggage, Stevenson ex pected to meet with the 28 dele gates and try to convince them he should get their Chicago votes. Instead, after a brief talk to the 200 or so persons who gathered at the local high school, the weary candidate was pushed up against a curtain to have his picture taken more than 50 times with individual delegates and alternates Credit for this idea was claimed by Charles Catt, head of the Clark county delegation. Shortly afterward, Stevenson was whisked down the street to the aging civic building for a free public cocktail party given by Eugenia Clair Smith, one of the party's five candidates for con gress. LITTLE TIME LEFT The lack of time for discus sions with the delegates may have had something to do with Steven son's poor showing in a poll of delegates on their presidential preference, After four hours in Tonopah, Police Probe Five Buralaries Five burglaries were reported to Reno police Sunday and Monday mornings. The heaviest loser was an Oak land, purchasing agent, Jacob J.

Eberle, who reported almost $10,000 worth of U. S. sav ings bonds missing. Eberle said he parked his 1956 station wagon on Commercial Row between Virginia and Sierra streets Sunday morning, went to breakfast and returned to find a windwing broken and a suitcase stolen. Cltohing valued at $111 and the bonds, totaling $9,775, were in the luggage.

At the Eastside cleaners Mon day morning, Henry Bonnenfant told Police Sgt. Anthony Poloni that burglars broke a glass pane in the front door at 627 Mill St. and took $3 from the cash register. Sgt. Elmer Seevers investigated break-in at the Oasis restau rant, 1295 E.

Second Monday morning. There he found the rear door had been jimmied, a locker broken open and the door to the bar unsuccessfully attacked. Nothing was reported missing. Owner Pete Lombardo reported the burglars left two caps behind. At the Sierra Meat and Pro vision 1700 E.

Second Al Wendt reported to Det. Sgts. Francis Rea and Frank Garske that burglars had broken a rear window with a rock, ransacked the office, unsuccessfully attacked the safe and left a glove and pocket knife at the scene. Nothing was missing. At Ed Montesa's bakery, 346 Lake burglars punched a piece of cardboard from a rear window Saturday night ran sacked the office and got $85 from a money box.

Det Sgt. Rob ert Peel made the investigation. 4 from Markleeville in Alpine coun who had spent Saturday cliffside with a broken leg. and brother, were on a fishing trip Board to Study Land Dealings Findings of the Ormsby county grand jury in its probe of state land transactions will be considered by the Nevada Legislative Commission in Carson to determine if any action will be recommended by that body to the 1957 session of the legislature. The Ormsby grand jury recommended that the 1957 legislature impeach Surveyor General Louis Ferrari, and revise state land laws to plug loopholes which opened the way for what the jury described as improper actions on the part of Ferrari and other state officials.

Also recommended by the jury was a detailed investigation of the surveyor general's office by a. legislative committee. The transcript of testimony of all witnesses, as well as other evi dence, and the jury report will be discussed by commission mem bers this week. The legislative commission is a bi-partisan group, composed of two Democrats and two Republicans from each house, that studies state problems between legislative sessions. The commission already has recommended that bills to abol ish the surveyor general's office again be introduced in the 1957 session.

These bills were sponsored by commission members in the 1955 session but they did not pass. Nevada voters in 1954. ao- proved a constitutional amend ment removing the requirement for election of a surveyor general from that document Other provisions for election of this officer are found in state law, however. The series of bills sponsored by the commission is desiened to de lete these references and parcel out present duties to the office of the state engineer. Commission members discussed the grand jury report prelimin arily in June, but voted to hold a special meeting this month to go into the findings of that body in detail.

Hearing Vaived In Fallon Case FALLON (Special) Preliminary hearing has been waived by Donald Austin, 22, of Fallon, charged with contributing to juvenile delinquency and furnishing a minor with his automobile in the hanging suicide of Barbara Ann Sanders. Austin will be arraigned in th district court Tuesday. Funeral services for Barbara Ann Sanders were held Friday at 2 p. m. at the Stillwater Baptist church with the Rev.

William E. Plants officiating. Burial was in the Stillwater Indian cemetery. Survivors include her mother. Llda Sanders, her father, Tom Sanders of Carson; two sisters Marian and Nancy; a grandmother, Mrs.

Donzie Recanzone of Fallon, and a grandfather, Alfred Wolfe of Flagstaff, Arizona. IS CONFIRMED Nomination of Virginia M. Rowe to be postmaster at Ruth has been confirmed by the U. S. senate.

Peavine has been done, but lack of funds and other snarls have prevented doing any extensive work there. The rapid expansion of housing subdivisions in the area have been another factor. Mr. Cann said this morning that any future construction up the slopes of Peavine will be watched closely. The city, said Cann, will now ask for reservations for drainage from any developers New Threat Of Floods Posed Here Thunderstorms hovering over Reno and western Nevada will present a constant threat of more flash floods throughout the week, the weather bureau said today.

Friday's cloudburst that dump ed .41 of an inch of ram Reno and surrounding mountains boost ed seasonal rainfall totals well above normal. More rain is expected during the week from re peated afternoon and evening thundershowrers. Hoping to prevent a recurrence of the Galena Creek tragedy on Friday night, the weather man today urged motorists using moun tain or gully roads to be on guard especially during the hours of afternoon or evening thunder storm activity. Particularly dangerous this week will be the Truckee canyon, he said. Local weather will continue hot and muggy with the high tempera- ture today and Tuesday expected near 95 degrees.

Early morning low temperature on Tuesday will be about 55. The high in Reno Sunday was 94. A "trace" of rain was noted during the night. Lack of any air circulation will continue to cause discomfort for local residents. Moisture laden atmosphere throughout the Truckee Meadows, trapped by dead air over the entire valley, needs a low temperature of 50 de grees before the moisture can precipitate out in the form of dew or rain.

Las Vegas got its first rain in many days this weekend with .15 of an inch falling there on Sunday, knocking out power lines, flooding streets and touching off an air raid siren. The cloudburst did little to erase the city's heat which soared to 106. Gaming Board leeis Thursday Regular monthly meeting of the state gambling control board will be held in Carson Thursday, with the state tax commission scheduled to meet the folliwng Monday. Robbins E. Cahill, board chair man, said that applications for three major Las Vegas resort hotels, the Tropicana, the Hacienda, and the Royal Nevada, are pending before the gaming con trol group, but that he did not know if they would be ready for presentation this week.

Board members will hear Jake Kozloff, an applicant at the Hacienda, in a plea for a gaming license in Carson Wednesday. Kozloff is a former partner in the old Last Frontier organization in Las Vegas. Operators of the New Frontier leased the Royal Nevada several months ago and have been renting rooms and operating a coffee shop tiie ill-fated establishment which closed its doors last New Years Eve. Several of the New Frontier partners are listed as applicants for the Royal Nevada license. The gaming control board will recommend action on these and other gambling license applica tions.

The tax commission will meet in Carson July 30 to take final action on the requests. Activity in Washington today indicated the Corps of Engineers, U. S. Army, was seeking information on the Peavine wash flash flood destruction on Friday, to determine future action on flood prevention and watershed construction for the northwest section of Reno. City Engineer Elliott Cann said this morning corps officials had contacted him after reportedly conferring with Sen.

Alan Bible and other Nevada congressional delegates in Washington. Sen. Bible's office stated Saturday im mediate action was planned to prevent any future occurrence of flood damage from the Peavine drainage area. JOB CONTINUES Meanwhile, the cleanup continued. Jlr.

Cann said city crews, augmented by 20 laborers hired to do the emergency work, would stay on the job as long as necessary. The city engineer's office was still receiving calls today from harried residents who inquired if city assistance was still available. Mr. Cann advised that all residents would be given as much assistance as necessary. He asked that debris, mud, silt and misplaced items be placed at the curbs of the streets, so that city and hired trucks could remove iL The help given by personnel at Stead Air Force base was again praised by the city engineer.

In Mr. Cann's opinion, Reno residents should be made cognizant of the fine work done by air force manpower in Reno's latest dis aster. There were 100 men avail able at all times from the air base and Mr. Cann said that their activity showed much of the ex perience gained in the December, 1955, flood. No less than 18 pieces of equipment were being employed in the Peavine repair work from six Reno contractors: Isbell Con struction Clarence Dieterich, Al Amer, chopper and Sons, La Grange Construction and Hoover Landscaping Co.

The equipment included six -yard dump truck, skip loaders, road patrols, and street flushers. This was in addition to regular city equipment in the same categories. STUDY DRAIN AREA With the request from the corps of engineers orfice, personnel in Reno delved into another study of the drainage area, which last went on a rampage jn July, 1955 Several studies of the denuded mountainside have been made, one as early as 1938. The Board man report of the late 1930s indL cated that a critical situation existed even at that time. Subse- quent studies by the city engi neer's office have also tolled the knell of destruction which reached a high peak last Friday.

Mr. Cann pointed out that some work to relieve the drainage load from Harry Newman Taken by Death Harry L. Newman, 73, a Reno resident since 1927, died Sunday morning at a local hospital. A native of Enfield, N. he came to Elko in 1910 and moved to Reno some 17 years later.

He was employed as a hardware specialist for the J. R. Bradley Co. Mr. Newman was a member of Elko Lodge No.

15, F. A. Elko Chapter No. 11, Royal Arch Masons; Elko Commandry No. 5, Knights Templars; Scottish Rite Bodies of Nevada and a life member of Kerak Temple of the Shrine, Reno.

Surviving are his widow, Mrs. Lillian S. Newman of Reno; a son; William Jordan Newman of Getchel Mine; a brother, Dr. William S. Newman of Ithaca, N.

sister, Maude S. Newman of Ithaca; and a niece, Mrs. Miles Pike of Reno. Funeral services will be held at 1:30 p. Wednesday, in the Ross-Burke Co.

home chapel under the direction of the Masonic Lodge. Burial will be in the Masonic section of Mountain View cemetery. who plan construction. No struc tures will be allowed in the vicini ty of valley lines or where con tours indicate water inundation is a definite possibility. Just a year ago, the city completed work on one drainage line which proceeds northerly from the Truckee river, near the Bender warehouse prop- ety and just westerly of Moun tain View cemetery.

The line can carry about 400 second feet of water and no doubt saved addi tional damage from the flash flood on Friday. It extends for a distance of about one-third of a mile. i Simple explanation of the force of the water which cascaded into northwest Reno and did "a still unestimated thousands of dollars worth of damage was noted for a Reno Gazette reporter this morn ing. The Peavine drainage area encompasses an area of about eight square miles, 3.55 square miles in one section and about 4.51 miles in another. Another exists, but was controlled partial ly by the new cit? sewer line in stalled a year ago.

According to the contours, in the two drainage areas where the flood was active Friday, the mountain drops from 6500 feet to 4500 feet in a distance of about three and one-half miles. The drop is sufficient to generate enough pressure to sweep virtu ally anything in its path, includ ing the automobiles and trucks which were buffeted around on northwest Reno streets Friday. The drainage arteries all travel in a south-easterly direction and all fuse in the Peavine residential area. Mr. Cann said that' what the city plans to do is some grass roots prevention work.

This in cludes contour furrowing, ditch and dike sections to convey the water and small diversion dams wherever necessary. It will also mean the planting of necessary mountain grasses, shrubs or small trees. Actually, said Mr, Cann, it means taken a barren- hard area with no present value and re-establishing it under a control program, where retention of water is the prime factor. Work will be done under a formula to be determined and if present plans are carried out, the city, forest service, bureau of reclamation, soil conservation service the Department of Agricul ture and the grazing service will all be part of the plan. Presently, under arrangements made in Washington the city will sponsor the work and will receive federal funds on a matching basis to complete it Survey crews were to go out this afternoon to determine as close as possible the extent of the damage, expected to run the several thousands of dollars.

The crews will systematically deter mine the perimeter of the flood damage and then runners wm oe sent out into the district to ask residents about structural demolition involved. This must be to comply with inquiries maae Dy the Corps of Engineers and by the Soil Conservation Service. Fire Near Galena Creek Reported Fire In brush and timber this morning brought trouble to. the Galena Creek area for the second time in three days. The fire, reported spread over about a quarter of an acre, was in the White's Creek canyon about two miles north of the scene of Friday night's flash flood disaster at Galena.

Toiyabe Forest Service dispatcher W. J. Van Arsdale said a ten-man crew, following the old Fdothill Road from Mount Rose highway, had reached the fire scene at 11 a. m. today.

First reports said the fire was not serious. Cause of the blaze had not been determined by noon. HUBCAPS TAKEN Four hubcaps valued at $25 have, been reported stolen from a parked car belonging to R. Packer, 110 Washington St. Raymond peak to Raymond lake, I located at the base of the moun tain, at an elevation of about 11,000 feet LOSES BALANCE Going down the steep slope it was necessary for the pair to slide part of the way.

Miss Hatfield, Sheriff Orrin Brown, of -Alpine county reported today, was sliding too fast, lost control and crashed into a pile of boulders, fracturing her right leg. On the steep incline, it was im possible to remove her.except by stretcher. Members of her family got word to another fisherman to notify the sheriff's office at Mark leeville of the accident late Saturday. The rescue party was organized, and Sunday morning left Marklee ville for Raymond peak at six o'clock. It was nearly noon before the rescuers, headed by Sheriff Brown, could reach the injured girL DOWN MOUNTAIN She was placed on a stretcher, and the party began edging its way down the mountain.

Sheriff Brown said it was necessary at times for the rescuers to use hand lines to keep from spilling the entire party down the mountainside. Miss Hatfield, a 133-pound girl, was carried on the stretcher for about six miles to a point where she could be transferred to a horse. She was then taken another five miles on the horse to the place where the rescue party's vehicles were left, and brought by car the rest of the way to Markleeville. Sheriff Brown said Miss Hatfield "held up very well," and when she and her family left Markleeville for Stockton Sunday night she was in "good shape." 13' 2 -HOUR TRIP The entire 28-mile trip from Markleeville to Raymond peak and return took about 132 hours, the party returning to the Alpine town about 7:30 p. m.

The Hatfield car had been left in the Blue Lake area, west of Raymond peak, but was driven to Markleeville, from which point the girl and her family left for Stockton, after her leg had been treated. Members of the rescue party, besides Sheriff Brown, included Artie Brown, game warden; Ray Koenig, Archie Woods, Nemyl Swenson and Jim Lyons, deputy sheriffs; Gary Coyan, Markleeville youth; Ed Sairbain, Sacramento city engineer; and Orrin Brown, and Larry McMasters, both of the Douglas county jeep patrol from Gardnerville. At the regular council session tonight at 8 o'clock, the council will hear the second reading of an ordinance providing a two perj cent agreement with the Sierra Pacific Power for city light water and gas services. Tonight is also the time set for the city assessor and comptroller to review the 1956 sewer and sanitary assessment roll for District No. 1.

A second reading will be held on an ordinance directing the assessor to prepare necessary rolls for the 1956 street and aliey improvement work. A third matter will involve a change of land use for a portion of California avenue near Mayberry drive, site of a proposed new southwest Reno fir station. council Studies Applications For Job of City Comptroller Consideration of applicants for the position of comptroller was the major, jtem to be discussed at an afternoon caucus meeting of the Reno City Council, C. B. Kinnison, city manager, announced this morning.

He indicated the position, vacated early this Spring with the ousting of Burton Beuhner, has drawn at least eight qualified applicants, Mr. Kinnison said. The job is an appointive one and carried a salary of $600 monthly during Mr. Beuhner's tenure. Mr.

Kinnison said he was impressed both with the number of applicants and their qualifications for the post. He said he felt confident a capable and qualified comptroller would be named shortly..