Fitchburg Sentinel from Fitchburg, Massachusetts • Page 1

The own of wistno Is the man ol Young. lentinel THE WEATHER BOSTON, Sept I Forecwt for Maiuchusetts: ending early tonight followed by dimlnlih- ing cloudiness. Wednesday partly cloudy with moderate and considerably less humid. VOL. LXXII.

NO. 102 FITCHBURG, TUESDAY. SEPTEMBER 5. 1944--TWELVE PAGES THREE CENTS YANKS SEEN DEEP IN SIEGFRIED ZONE Oil Tank Explodes KillingBoy Of Four Alone In Tenement Robert f. Guy Is Victim Of City' Second Mystery Fire; Firemen State and local fire officials this forenoon started an investigation to learn the origin of last night's range-oil explosior at 13 Beech street lane which claimed the life of four-year-old Robert F.

Guy, son of Mr. and Mrs. William C. Guy. The child was alone in the tenement at the time of the explosion.

He is believed to have been in the kitchen where the explosion occurred and to have run through an adjacenl room to a rear room where he threw himself on a bed when the flames blocked his escape through only exit from the house. Dr. Edward A. Adams pronounced the child dead, upon his arrival at Burbank hospital Lt. John F.

O'Doxmell, of Central fire station, and Lt. Joseph E. Sullivan, of Cleghorn, founc the child in an unconscious condition in the rear bedroom while 9ther firemen were searching three other rooms for the missing boy. Patrolmen Joseph L. Kolaryk and Herbert E.

Lynch administered artificial respiration to the child while removing him to the hospital in the police ambulance. Dr. Rudolf F. Bachmann, medical examiner, found that the child died from asphyxiation and multiple critical burns to the head, arms, legs and body, Chief Michael J. Shea this Jnorn- ing stated that in all probability, the secret of the cause of the fire Mrill remain unknown as was the asca.de street conflagration of May the lives of four children of Mr.

and Mrs. William G- Espie, and Mr. and A. Conrad. Last night's victim had "been tucked into bed by his sister, who was caring for Reds, Romanians Join For Assault Against Hungary four brothers while her father was in Boston and her mother had gone to the Wnalom park theater.

She told Chief Shea and the medical examiner that she left Robert to RO outside for the three other children, Roger, Rose Marie, and William, 9. A violent explosion and tongues of flame gieeted her the children as they started up the outside stairway to their second floor tenement The fire was so violent Fire (Continued on Fags Six) Sailor Is Arrested I While On Honeymoon For Being AWOl Everett Jenkins, 18, sailor attached to the Newport, naval base, who was married here last week, was arrested last night by Patrolman Herbert C. Hassett on a complaint of naval authorities that the youth, who is on a honeymoon in this city, is AWOL. Police surrendered him to naval authorities this morning. ENLIST YOUR DOLLARS in Victory and Peace- Save every pay day! Vital Rail Communications Center In Transylvania Of Big Drive MOSCOW, Sept.

5 C4--Russian and Romanian troops stormed dowr the mountainous eastern watershed of the Hungarian plains today while Red army units in Poland drove an -armored-batterings ram deep into the Warsaw-East Prussia defense belt. Soviet successes in Transylvania along the historic invasion route to Hungary and southwest of Lomza between Warsaw and East Prussia's southern border were being exploited with new attacks againsi fierce resistance, front dispatches said. Russian and Romanian divisions officially operating in coordination for the first time, pushed forwarc against a combined German anr Hungarian force. They were heading for the Mures river valley, which runs westward into Hungary One supporting column veera southwestward toward Sibiu, which controls the northern exit of the Turnu pass through the Transylvanian Capture of Brasov, which was announced yesterday, assured complete possession of the Predeal pass through the Alps, and it was a downhill fight from there to Hungary. Sibiu, second in importance only to Brasov as a center of Transylvanian rail communications, was within 70 miles of the leading Russian and Romanion units.

lits fall would signal the beginning of the battle of Hungary. Romanian peasants helped guide Russian scouts. on the mountain trails and reported the location of enemy units, front dispatches said. The gap between Russian forces and those of Marshal Tito's Partisans in Yugoslavia was closing. "They're just as good as mother makes" what "they say" ol TOWN TALK SWANSON'S Are Your Mortgage Payments Burdensome? Perhaps yon should re-finance the old mortgage on your home.

Come in and talk it over with m--no cost or obligation. SAVINGS BANK LIFE INSURANCE AT LOW COST A Mutual Anton Bank 745 Main Stmt Fitchburg Draftee First Bay Stater At Devens In 1917 It was 27 years ago today that James 'B. Murphy, then of 25 Forest street, now of Gulfport, Miss, entered the World War I induction center at Fort Devens to become the first Massachusetts man to enter the service under the draft laws of that time. Murphy, JJ8 years old at the time of his induction, had graduated from Fitchburg" high school, Dartmouth college, and Georgetown law school Re was James A. Stiles as an apprentice lawyer.

The son of Mr. and Mrs. John B. Murphy was proud of the honor of being the first man from the Bay State to go through the induction center. He was the only member of his family eligible for service at that time.

He later went to Camp Lee, and was commissioned a second lieutenant on Aug. 28, 1918. After leaving the service, he went south. He married the Miss Leila Batson of Jackson, and they have one daughter, 1 Mary, who is now in her early 20's. He is a practicing lawyer in Gulfport Murphy (Continued on Page Three) 2 Fitchburgers Killed In Action In France, Italy Lt.

John E. Burke Lost Aug. 19 And Pfc. R. W.

Espie ell At Cassino Feb. 8 Two local servicemen, Lt John E. Burke and Pfc. Kobert W. Espie, of this city, have been killed In action according to war department notifications-received-by Lt.

John E. Burke was killed in action in France Aug. 19, while serving with the infantry, according to a war department notification received by his father, Michael P. Burke, of 5 Clinton street Lt. Burke, who had been serving overseas since February, entered the army on March 12, 1942, He received his training at Breckenridge, and was commissioned as a second lieutenant at Ft Benning, on April 19,1943.

He was a graduate of St. Bernard's high school and attended Niagara university, Niagara Falls, N. Y. Pfc. Robert W.

Espie, 20, a native and former resident of this city, was killed in action in Cassino on Feb. 8, according to word received by his parents, Mr. and Mrs. George A. Espie, of 1986 River street, Hyde Park.

He was previously reported missing in action on March 17. Pfc. Espie had been serving with the infarttry since March, 1943. He received his training at Camp Croft, S. and went last September.

He had seen action in North Africa and Italy. He was a graduate of St Bernard's high school, class of 1942. Finns-RedrSeF For Negotiation Of Peace Terms Berlin Says Mission Leaves Helsinki Tomorrow To Attend Moscow Parley LONDON, Sept. 5 W-A Finnish, mission will depart for "Moscow tomorrow, the Berlin radio said today, to negotiate peace ended hostilities on 1 the Finntsh- Rusian front yesterday. Premier Hantii Hackzell and Foreign Minister C.

J. A. Enckell are expected to head the mission, which will consist of about 10 members, Berlin declared. (The Helsinki radio said Hack- zell's cabinet was given a vote of confidence by the Finnish parliament yesterday at the close of two secret sessions at which the premier explained measures connected with the Soviet-Finnish peace negotiations and supplemented his statement Saturday that his government had asked German troops to quit the country. The broadcast was reported by the Federal Communications Commission).

The broadcast made no reference to the disposition of German troops stationed in Finland. Dispatches from Stockholm last night quoted Finnish sources there as saying Nazi forces scattered throughout the southern part of the country were expected to begin withdrawal today. This source estimated there were probably three German divisions in southern Finland, despite reports of gradual withdrawals from that area. Finland remained there were reports in Sweden that the Germans were withdrawing via northern Norway. Under the terms of the armistice, Finland gave Germany until Sept -15-- to -evacuate forces, Thpse remaining in Finland after that date will be disarmed and interned, the Helsinki government said.

Cabinet Meeting Held In London By Exiled Poles LONDON, Sept. 5 C-PJ--Poland's exiled government, shaking in a new crisis precipitated by Gen. Kazimierz Sosnkowski's denunciation of Allied failure to relieve Warsaw, called a special cabinet meeting today. Premier Stanislaw Mikolajczyk conferred with British Foreign Secretary Anthony Eden just before the ministers met. A spokesman said the meeting was concerned primarily with the plight of Warsaw.

It was expected, however, that the cabinet would consider advancing the date for the proposed reorganization of Poland military direction and replacing Gen. Sosnkowski, t8e Polish commander-in-chief, with a civilian board. The general is in disfavor in Soviet Russia. Eden probably was emphatic in telling Mikolajczyk of the dangers of such statements as that of the general to British efforts to re-establish relations between Poland and Russia. Temblor NIAndCanada; Sways Buildings Second Quake In 4 Years Felt Here; No Damage But Public Gets Jitters HARVARD, Sept.

5 W) The early morning earthquake which shook nortbewtea seethes of the of Canada followed the paHern that has increased the frequency of earthquakes felt in New England, Dr. L. Don Leet, Harvard university seismologist, said today. Pointing out that the disturbance occurred only four years after the earthquake that centered in Ossipee, N. in December, 1940, Dr.

Leet commented in- an interview today, "it fits into the current pattern that has brought the intervals between earthquakes felt in this section down to about four years, instead of the 50-year average at the turn of the century. Preliminary data indicated that the center of this quake was somewhere north of the Adirondack mountains, probably in an isolated area, Dr. Leet said, but definite location of the source awaited precise readings from various Canadian and American seismograph stations. While "the readings indicated that the shock was of intensity to have caused damage it centered in a populated place, the quake apparently was too deep to have caused serious damage at the surface," Dr. Leet added.

He said that the origin of the light, have been 20 miles plained that when "quakes occur at depths greater than five miles, the surface intensity falls off rapidly." He asserted that readings taken in Chicago, Pittsburgh and other at the dominion observatoryliTOttawa would shed further light on the origin of the disturbance when co-ordinated with observations made here and at other eastern colleges. The Boston customs house and other tall structures swayed and in Keene, N. and Brattleboro, some alarmed residents ran from their homes. Pistols were jarred from a police headquarters rack at Burlington, and fire buckets in the Burlington Free Press building spilled water to the floor. Windows were broken in Shelburne, and elsewhere and some cracked plaster was reported.

Dr. Leet said that for several minutes the seismographs at hte Harvard station, worked so fast that the direction of the quake was not indicated. At one place, he said, there was a gap of nearly 15 minutes in the seismograph record. Leet said indications were that the center of the tremor was 235 miles from Boston, possibly in the Adirondack region or along the St. Lawrence river in the vicinity of Lake Champlain or Lake Ontario.

Quake (Continued on Pake Six) I eathue over the delicious dishes OB oar menu and bow they go for CHICKEN IN THE NEST Only 85c Dally, 1UO to 4 to I GOODHUES RESTAURANT 22 MAIN STREET LEOMINSTER The Pleasant Way to Pay Bills It not only pleasant to pay by check, but thrifty to pay by Thrifti- Check. Your name printed on each check lends certain distinction to all your busineM transactions. fj Worcester County Trust Co. Fitehborg, Maw. To Get Outline Of Main St.

Land A special meeting of the city council and planning board will be held with Mayor Woollacott in the mayor's office at 7.30 this evening. The mayor wiH outline a proposal for taking over the railroad property on the south side of Main street, between Depot court and the property of the Fitchburg Plumbing and Supply Co. The regular meeting of the council will be called at 8 o'clock when business which accumulated during the vacation month will be taken up. Wrongly Reports Nazi Surrender LONDON, Sept. 5 W)-The Brussels radio caused a brief flurry today by broadcasting a wholly unconfirmed and circuitous report that Germany had capitulated, but soon denied it "We regret to announce that Germany has not capitulated as was announced this morning wrongly," said the Brussels radio, out of German hands tinjies." The strange, circuitous peace rumor went the rounds London swiftly after the Brussels broadcast and prompted many inquries at newspaper offices.

The British Press anonymous diplomatic correspondent wrote this warning: "The first of the German 'capitulation' stories was circulated this morning. It is not true. It is likely to be followed during the next few days and weeks by many similar, and equally inaccurate rumors." U. S. Fliers Bag 107 Jap Planes And 30 Vessels Bonin And Volcano Isles Hit In Heaviest Blow; Davao Gulf Loss Heavy MMMWM (By the Thirty Japanese ships and 107 planes were -wrecked in.

a blazing chain of American sea and air bom. bardments, reported yesterday and today, extending over the 4500 mile -length -of the -mikado's The attacks covered one of the most devastating five day periods of the war--from last Wednesday to Sunday. Previously reported air actions ran Japan's losses fox the five days to 158 planes knocked out and 55 ships sunk or badly damaged. Sixty-eight barges, sampans, and other small craft were also crippled. The heaviest blow was struck by powerful carrier and naval forces striking within 650 miles at Japan in a three day bombardment of the Bonin and Volcano islands.

Bombs, rockets, and sheilfire knocked a dozen Nipponese ships and 85 planes out of action. Land-based Liberators followed up to carry the bombardment into four consecutive days. Another dozen ships were destroyed or damaged in the southern Pacific (Continued on Pate Six) Traffic Deaths Over Weekend Now Total 245 (By the Associated Press) Fatalities throughout the nation for the Labor day holiday weekend reached 245 today, more than half being caused by traffic accidents, an Associated Press survey showed. The deaSh toll for the 1943 Labor day period was 205 persons from trarffic accidents, drownings and miscellaneous causes. In 1942 about 350 died and 1941 more than 600.

Of this year's total, 138 were due to traffic accidents, 54 each for drownings and miscellaneous causes. ColSfornia led the list of 35 states and the District- of Columbia with 28 deaths, 22 from traffic causes. Tabulation of New England states: Connecticut 4 traffic, 2 drown- ings, 1 miscellaneous; Massachusetts, 2 traffic, 1 drowning, 1 miscellaneous. What WOULD YOU LIKE TO KNOW ABOUT Owning a Home? We've had years of experience, helping people buy their first homes. Over two thirds of all the owner-occupied homes In this State have been financed by the low-coat, pay-like-rent of the Co-operative Low interest Rhine Valley Gains Veiled In Secrecy U.

S. Tanks Said Near Strasbourg; British Forces Near Rotterdam; French Racing Up Saone Valley be stabbing into the Rhine valley beyond the German border in a secrecy-shrouded offensive today. Perhaps they are well into the Siegfried line defense zone. This drive, which supreme headquarters has kept under security silence for three days, has had time enough to have penetrated anywhere up to 75 miles. A dispatch from the French frontier said it was reliably reported American tanks had reached the outskirts of the French border city of Strasbourg, on the Rhine 70 miles east of Nancy, and that.

fighting was in progress on German soil around Saarbrucken. Other unofficial reports said the Americans had crossed the German frontier at three places on a 100- mile front. To the north a British flying column which captured Brussels and Antwerp in a 48-hour border-to-border sweep across Belgium was reported to have raced through Breda, five miles inside Holland, to be rushing down the last 28 miles to important port of Rotterdam. Breda with a population of 50,792 is the 20th city of The Netherlands. Behind these advances German forces estimated all the way from 50,000 to 100,000 men were caught in a cauldron along the channel coast a Dunkerque in reverse.

The Germans had stiffened in a thin arc around the last Nazi-held channel ports, Supreme headquarters announced that in the area of Mons, Belgium, where the U. S. 1st army has been operating, a large pocket of Germans has been wiped out, 9000 prisoners have been. taken and 40 tanks and 1500 motor vehicles captured or de- The Siegfried line was under actual or impending at both ends. The reports, none of them confirmed, of file three American crossings of the German frontier located the opera-' tions at Aachen, 70 miles east of Brussels, Perl at the junction of the German-French-Luxembourg border, and a point somewhere of -----------France (Continued on Page Ten) Status Of Envoys Hinders Parley With Bulgarians WASHINGTON, Sept.

5 3 -Allied armistice -terms for Bulgaria are being held up, it was learned today, pending proof from the Bulgarian envoys in Cairo that they can speak for the new government. Although the terms are said to be considerably more severe than those about to be signed in Moscow with Romania, officials here have little doubt that Bulgaria drop out of the Axis line-up without a whimper as soon as technicalities are cleared up. The Bulgarian terms, originated in Washington, do not require that Bulgaria declare war on Germany, but are believed to demand right of passage for Allied troops and disarmament of the Bulgarian army as soon as Nazi forces there are under control. Romania, which went" to war with Germany before concluding Bulgaria (Continued on Page Twelve) Canadians Meet Stiff Resistance Near Po Valley ROME, Sept 5. (At Canadian troops of the 8lh army, supported by British warships standing offshore, drove last night to within six miles of Rimini Taut Allied headquarters declared today they were meeting increasing resistance as they edged closer to the eastern terminus of the important Po valley highway.

'The Nazis reacted vigorously to the bridgehead across the Conca river, which Canadians established after a slashing two-prong drive during the last thres Bitter fighting raged along the ridge running south from Abissina to Misano. The Germans hurled heavy tanks and fresh infantry contingents against the Canadians in a determined effort to retake Misano, which they lost Sept. 3, but after a bloody fight the Canadians swept the area clear of the enemy. When the fighting abated eight Italy (Continued on Page Slx I By Associated Prea LONDON--Russian troops have crossed the historic Narew river in their new, full-fledged offensive toward East Prussia, the German radio asserted late today. At its nearest point just west of Lomza, the Narew flows within 12 miles of the southern intier of East Prussia.

fijo: NEW YORK--Japan's air force has followed the Japanese fleet into hiding. That is the inescapable conclusion to be drawn from official communiques and from Nipponese aircraft losses in August, the. lightest month in more than a year. LONDON--Premier Pierre Dupong of Luxembourg said in a broadcast today that Allied troops "have arrived at last" on the soil of the Duchy and told bis people to get out flags and don their best garb to greet them. LONDON--Britain's four-day respite from flying bomb' attacks ended abruptly today when the Germans sent another shower of robots over London and southern England shortly fore daybreak.

LONDON--American heavy bombers smashed today at the Rhineland transport and industrial centers of Stuttgart, Karlsruhe and Ludwigshafeu, all in the path of advancing Allied armies of the wset CHUNGKING--Japanese columns are only about 40 miles from the (Coveted airbase at Lingling near the Kwangsi border in a sudden drive along the trackless stretch of the Kwangsi railway which portends a renewed attempt to sj CJhinji in twfc the high icominand indicated bat.