Carlsbad Current-Argus from Carlsbad, New Mexico • 1

Lj (G "f1 JAP) Associated Prtss-UP TELEPHOTb-. (UP) United Press CARLSBAD; NEW MEXICO, FRIDAY, MAY 20, 1955 HOME EDITION 24 PASES PRICE 5 Vol 7 AT i -1 1 f-U i fP I as asi mm mm u--r ii mm i sa 1 r-w mm 1 1 bh aaa Unknown Named Nivl Director -1 i iquor Rampaging River Sends Residents To Higher round Rains Halt Drought After 5-Year Wait golf balls which bombarded the vegetable crops there. Ills? diately northwest of here, La Junta Gardens, reported water the overflowing Arkansas had spilled over adjacent lowlands but that it had not risen into any farmhouses yet. Farm resident were reported busy removing their livestock. Residents of Higbee Valley, a small farming community about (Continued On Page Two More Rain Scheduled For State Br VaUMi 9tm At least two highways remaned blocked in New Mexico Friday and state police were discouraging traf fie on another as the state soaked up the heaviest rams has re ceived in five years in the north eastern section.

The Weatherman said the and northern- areas of the state could expect still more rain during the day. But it was to be of the light and scattered variety and nothing like the rains and snows of the past two days. U. S. Highway 85 north out of Raton was blocked near Trinidad, by high water and a washed-.

out bridge had traffic halted along State Highway 58 between Springer and Clayton. Snow Stalls SB Cars State police in Santa Fe said some 50 cars which stalled Thurs-. SANTA FE Hilton A. Dickson, 31-year-old Silver City attorney, Friday was named by Gov. John F.

Simms as state liquor direc tor. Dickson, considered an un known politically," will replace John W. Gurley, Carlsbad, who has held the job in this administration on a temporary basis. Gurley is scheduled to take an attorney's Job with the Oil Conservation Commission. Dickson is 31 and unmarried.

He was graduated from Tulane University Law School in 1952 and admitted to New Mexico practice in 1953. He served three years in the Army during the war and was stationed in the Pacific. He began as a private and became a staff sergeant He is now a first lieutenant in the reserves. At Silver City, he is a local commander of the VTW and vice commander of the American Le gion. The governor said he hopes to pay Dickson $7,800 a year and eliminate the post of liquor division attorney, which he said will mean a net saving, although is more than Elfego Baca drew under the Republican administration.

Dickson plans to take office June 1, or as soon thereafter as he can wind up his Silver City affairs. Cand Liquor Hearing Scheduled By Gurley SANTA FE (H) More liquor hearings have been scheduled by Acting Liquor Director John W. Gurley, he announced Friday. On May 26 a hearing will be held here for Alberto and Ernest Gonzales, operators of Ranchito'i Riverside Bar at Taos. They are charged with Sunday sales on April 24.

A Carlsbad hearing will be held for W. Pue, operator tA the Canal Liquor Store. He is charged with sales to minors on April 7. Texas Wetes" Beneficial Rain Br THX ASSOCIATED PRESI Reservoirs were rising from heavy runoffs Friday but sky-clearing conditions had set in over Texas after some of the most beneficial rains in years. The Weather Bureau reported rain still falling at Sherman, Wichita Falls, Childress, Dalhart and Lufkin.

But except for the Panhandle and Red River districts and along the Gulf Coast, skies were no more than partly cloudy. Forecasts called for clearing weather in East Texas with showers and some local thunderstorms in the north portion by Saturday morning. A few scattered showers in the Panhandle were expected to end Friday night Clearing conditions across the state followed nearly i week of heavy, mostly beneficial rains and more than a score of tornadoes that danced menacingly across the state but did little dam age. Emergency Landing ALAMOGORDO (Pi Two Hollomaa Aii Force Bate pilots successfully completed aa emergency landing here Friday morning after having mechanical trouble their T-JI )et plane. day in heavy snow around Ute Park, the Cimarron Canyon area, had been freed during the night.

But the road, U. S. Highway 64, was reported still hazardous lor travel and all Denver- T. A VST ELMER HEPLER Elmer Hepfer Gets Appointment As RaceXommissioner Elmer Hepler, Carlsbad rancher and one of the nation's foremost quarterhorse breeders, was a p. pointed Friday by Gov, John Simms to the new five-man state racing commission.

Simms announced the appoint ment, at the same time, of Paul Woofter of Socorro and the same three members, of the former thrwman racing commission, Hold-over commission members who were reappointed are Thomas C. Closson, Santa Fe; Oliver Lee, Alamognrdo, and M. (Red) Keohane, Roswell. Hepler is. a former member of the racing commission, holding of' fice during the 1940s, He had been endorsed for the commission appointment by the Eddy.

County Democratic central committee. The owner of a ranch in the mountains west of Carlsbad, Hepler is known all over the west ern U.S. for nis quarterhorses. His horse Shufly at one time was rated America's swiftest quarter-horse after establishing a new record for the quarter-mile. In making public his choices for the racing commission, Simms noted that the new law adding two more members to the com mission contradicts Itself in three different sections as to how terms of members shall run.

He said he is asking the attorney general's office for advice, and for the time being is naming the members to staggered erms. Armed Forces Day Is To Feature Jets Fly-Over Carlsbad will observe Armed Forces Day Saturday with displays of military equipment and fly-overs of fast military Jcyair- craft Carlsbad's military reserve units will hold operyhouse at the Navy electronics reserve armory in West CarlsbacT and at the new National Guard! armory in South Carlsbad.f Guard anti-aircraft equipment and materiel used by the Navy unit will be displayed on the courthouse lawn for most of the day. The Civil Air Patrol will also hold open house at its hangar at the municipal airport and a jet powered T-33 airplane will be on display at the municipal airport. A number of flights of jets will zip over Carlsbad during the day. r- bound traffic was being routed north through Alamosa, New Mexico authorities.

The rains, which approached nine THE LITTLE Today's Chuckle He who laughs last is the guy who was figuring on tell-inc the storv himself a little 'later. Moving Closer I That big oil and gas play Carlsbad has been expecting for so many years is moving a little closer. The Great Western Drilling Co. of Midland, is crews into Carlsbad to start a big exploration program for El Paso Natural Gas. i They asked the Chamber of Commerce to helo find rental homes a scarce item these days for.

16 families, iney expect to be in Carlsbad for several years. Great Western, according to the way the Utile Argus understand! it going to punch down at least three walls, perhaps as deep as 15,000 feet southeast of Carlsbad. TVip area to be explored for El Paso Natural Gas is north-I of Jal. It aooears to be an extension of that terrific new field hit by Continental aVnuf a vAar nan when a wild SkVMV well blewmt and caught fire. It cost Continental several million dollars Just to snuff that one out It is of some significance that Great Western is locating its drilling crews in Carlsbad rather than Jal or some nihr nrt to the east of the new field.

It looks as if the firm expects to be working closer to Carlsbad than to the Lea County oil centers. Rodeo Plug "The Carlsbad Elks Rodeo has made the Cleveland, Ohio, Plain Dealer. In the newspaper's "Travel Sketchbook," written ty Mildred Rauschkolb for May 8, appears this paragraph: "Although Carlsbad con-' Jurat up vision of caverns, that city in New Mexico also has a western heritage to remember. Four days each year, thla being the eighth year, cowboyi become kings and bucking bronca are the order of the day. "The annual Carlsbad Rodeo takes place May 25-28." Sending the clipping on to the Little Argus, Joe Bursey, state tourist bureau director, remarked in a note: "They left out the Elks part of it, but it may help anyway." The Weather In at least one Carlsbad familv Alhuaueraue is Bet ting blamed for the current of blusterv.

cool our rainlpss weather. Mplvin Mattison. a 1944 craduate of Carlsbad high whw1. drove down from Al buquerqw to visit his parents, Mr. and Mrs.

Ben Mattison, 807 North Eighth, and to see his sister, Mary, receive her diploma from Carlsbad -v, i', A It was raining and blustering when Melvin left Albuquerque and the weather followed him right on down to Carlsbad. You've eot to watch those Albuquerque people They'll do anvthine to escape from the climate, even when there's a risk of --bringing the climate along with them. Just Empties Speaking of rain, Reid Me Closkey tells about a conver nation between a new teach er and an old-timer the other day. (Contautd On Ptsa Two) TRAFFIC TOLL Hew Mexico Highway Fatalities To DeHi 1M 1 Tul imi Argus inches along the New Mexico-Colorado border, were a boon to farmers and stockmen throughout the northeast. Top Economy RENO.

The slate of Nevada, which thinks it knows how to pinch pennies, got a lesson from wealthy New York. Letters received by the Nevada Tax Commission from the New York Department, of Taxation and Finance were enclosed in envelopes printed nearly a quarter of a century ago. They still listed Alfred E. 1 1 as governor, although he left office in 1928. Asberry Pleads Guilty On Return From Federal Pen Paul Asberry, 29, was bound over to district court naay after, pleading guilty in justice of the peace court to grand larceny and breaking and enter ing.

District court bond was fixed at $1,500 by JP Harvey Fort. Asberry and Johnny Golden, 28, both were charged in connection with the burglary of Smith Hardware more than a year ago, Golden pleaded innocent to grand larceny and breaking and enter ing. Preliminary hearing is sched uled for 2 p.m. June 7. Bond in each case was set at $1,000.

The two men were apprehend ed inCalifornia last year, and served time in the McNiel island, federal, penitentiary for violation of thei)yer act, it was reported. Sheriff Hartsill Martin and Deputy Pete Georgfr returned them to Carlsbad Thursday-night from Washington. Fourteen guns valued at ap proximately $800 were taken in the hardware burglary. The knob was knocked off the safe door, but the safe was not entered. Truckers' Strike Spreads In West LOS ANGELES UP An AFL teamsters strike against three major trucking companies spread throughout the West Frfday as other contract trucking firms closed down sympathy.

The strike against these three companies is a strike against the whole industry," said Wade Sher-rard, managing director of the California Trucking Association. "We can't stand by -and let the union pick off one or two companies at a time." N. The employer association decid ed to order all members in the 11 western states to halt operations in retaliation to the strike. Frank Brewster of Seattle, president of the western conference of teamsters, said "if they want, to lock our people out, it's up to them. We have no plans at present to strike any other car riers." Late Bulletins ALBUQUERQUE UP) A spokesman for the District Corps of Enginttrs office said Friday afternoon the water lev el at Conchas Dam has risen 17.32 ft since the gates were closed last Wednesday.

WASHINGTON Senator! McClelland D-Ark) saidFriday anernoon his senate inyestiga. tfons subcommittee intends to ex pose the higher-ups irt'a' "nest of small grafters' hecontends has fattened on contracts with the armed forcesHe sees no evi dence thatjrorruption in big-scale buying of jniform equipment has reached very high in the procure, merit services. EL PASO VPI Once again an attempt lo find the murderer of Cricket Coogler has failed. Police Thursday cleared Tke Huston, 52, who was found hanged at the rear of a cafe Wednesday. They had tried also unsuccessfully to link him to a California slaving.

BERLIN Pvt. William T. Marchuk of Norristown, held captive in Russia for six years, was sentenced Friday night to 12 years in prison for giving" VS. military secrets to the Soviet Union. DETROIT Vf) State police reported they took Into custody Fridaf afternoon a 1-fooM.

pis-lot-toting suitor who abducted petite 21-yeer-old Jane Dalles from the apartment of 'a girl friend in Detroit, Utt sight. LA JUNTA, Colo. UP The flooding Arkansas uriver which already had forced 1800. persons from' their homes crested here Friday after- noon. At Trinidad, 80 miles southwest of here the Picket-wire River which Thursday sent another 1,000 persons fleeing to safety was receding rapidly tind the flood threat was over.

The La Junta evacuees all came from a residential district nearest the river, North La Junta, in this southeastern Colorado town of 7,700 population. There had been no loss of life here and the. families whose homes were located in areas inundated by from two to five feet of water were being housed temporarily at the World War II La Junta Air Base. ALBUQUERQUE IB Floods In southeastern Colorado forced Santa Fe rallwer bams to bypass Colorado aed aorthera New Mexico Friday, and officials said It would be sometime Saturday before regvhw service eon Id be returned. Westbound Irakis left the mam Uaea at Newton, Kan swinging southward through Amirillo, Tex.

Vaughn end Be-len, rejoining the main line at Dalies, a few mites weet of Lee Luna. Sheriff Carl Rolander said the Arkanses crested here at 2 p.m. (MST). The crest passed Fowler early Friday morning. Livestock Being Removed A farm eomm unity imme- Big Three Seeks Btockads Ending In Vest Berlin BERLttMJP The Big Three western envoys.

Friday demanded at their first meeting with the Soviet representative since 1948 that Russia call off the "cold bloc, ade" that threatens the food sup-. plies of West Berlin. The American, British and French envoys to the West German republic met with the Soviet ambassador to East Germany at the Soviet embassy on Unter Den Linden in a meeting requested im the West. It was the firsMme Big Four boys sat down together since the end of the 194849 total blockade of BerllnThe West as serted ten restrictions on supply trucks toBerlin violate the 1949 blockade-lifting agreement. The "baby blockade" began on April wlyn the East German government increased 11-fold the road taxes on the trucks which bring in about half of Berlin sup plies.

The West estimated the taxes will run to $10 million a year, MePhersoti, Tockctt Receive Judgeships SANTA FI D. A. Mac. Pherson a former district at torney, and Dirt. Atty.

Paul Tack ett, both of Albuquerque, Friday were appointed by Gov. John Simms as the two new judges authorized by the Legislature for the Second Judicial District John D. Murphy, now an assistant district attorney, at Albu- querque, was named by the gov- ernor to replace Tackett as district attorney. torists who get tickets that they have 15 minutes to get to the nearest Justice of the State Police Chief Joe Roach said if five days were allowed as directed by the state Motor Vehicle Code for motorists to report, "we'd lose everything we've gained in cutting Sown on speeding." He said, however, that if officers are ordering immediate trials, "they are out of bounds." State Police Archie White, in charge of the Albuquerque office said police never ordered Immediate trials "unless the motorist gets huffy." He also defended immediate trials and said an increase in accidents, would result i immediate trials! were not ordered. By UNITED PRESS Farmers and ranchers beamed Friday as -the five-year drought came to halt in five New Mexico counties and soggy soil, offered fresh hope in nine State officials said the ram which pounded the state's East Side for two days Wednesday and Thurs day was the "best in five years." For most of the state, there were still problems ahead, but for the first time in as long as landown ers care to remember, things looked good.

The moisture seemed aimed, as one Curry county farmer said, "by Divine Providence" at those counties which needed it most Rain, snow, sleet and hail pummelled the eastern edge of the state from Raton down to Lovington. the Portales Valley suffered damage from hail the size of Charges Dismissed On Blair Manslaughter and negligent homicide charges against 22-year-old Bill Blair were dismissed by Justice of the -Peace Harvey W. Fort Thursday on motion of de fense counsel. Release of the youth, charged In connection with the car-train crash last April 23 it the Muscatel street crossing which claimed the life of Barbara Jean Hayes, came at the conclusion of "the state's case in preliminary hearing. The hearing opened Wednesday after noon, ana was continued wnen one of the state's witnesses, Santa Fe Brakeman J.

M. Porterfield, faileI to appear. Porterfield did not get here for Thursday's ses sion. Assistant District Attorney C. N.

Morris put Dr. H. D. Pate, who had examined Blair's eyes, on as the final witness. Dr.

Pate testi fied that the youth's vision "was poor. Representing Blair was the Neal, Neumann and a 1 law firm. Morris and district attorney Pat Hanagan still are studying the case. Permit Filed By Carlsbad BC Application for a channel 6 television permit was submitted Thursday to the Federal Communications Commission by Carls bad Broadcasting manager Norman Loose announced. Loose said no details of the proposed T-V station can be outlined until the permit is granted by FCC.

Processing such an ap plication normally requires about 90 days, he continued. The proposed station would be erected on mountain, lying west of Carlsbad past the end of Church street on a 10-acre site purchased by Carlsbad Broadcasting five years Loose, said the application is the culmination of three years of planning by his company. Val Lawrence, El Paso, is president of the corporation, which operates radio station XAVE here. shotgun and the other with a pistol After raiding the bank vault the robbers forced Wood to help them carry the money to the car. They drove him to his house, picked up their confederates, and fled.

The highway patrol set up road blocks around Jacksonville, a town of 5,000 about 70 mile's east of Birmingham, and Federal Bur eau of Investigation agents Joined local officers in the manhunt The robbers put the money in a cheap black suitcase in which they had brought the rope to bind the bank employes, and in 'Wood's brief case. No one was injured in the hold up. As each employe entered, Wood explained that the bank was being robbed and that the men had Promised not to injure any one TO they didat get out of line." The State Agriculture Stabiliza tion Committee said the drought was considered over in Curry, Colfax, Quay and Roosevelt If it was not broken it at least was alleviated in Bernalillo, Hard ing, Lea, San Miguel, Santa Fe, Socorro, Torrance, Union and Va lencia all designated wind ero sion emergency areas. Q. A.

Knox, program specialist for the ASC said the rains came too late to save the winter wheat crop. But vegetables, grain sor ghum, simmer grasses all can be expected to yield abundant crops for the first vtime in Summer fallow land will be in good shape for seeding this fall, he said, and grass will enable the landowners to build up forage and wind cover to hold the moisture as long as possible. H. M. Rickman, chairman of the State Drought Committee, said the east, side can look forward to "at least six or eight months" before worrying again about drought.

But he -said it will take more rain between now and the end of the year to guarantee the drought is over for good. In spite of the rain. Rickman said the state ASC will continue to administer the droueht pmnr. gency feed program until the dead line June 30. At that time, he said, the com mittee will "investigate' conditions around the state, and make its recommendations accordingly.

Staie Seeks Additional s. Air Base WASHINGTON Iff) The sec- retary air and the four star general who head the Air Force huddled late Thursday with Senator Chavez (D-NM) tirt flic possibility of a iifth Air Force, base uwiciaij lojooiv, Hainan iwining ana Chavez discussed New Mexico's part in the project- ea increase Air Force wings at the close of a hush-hush hearing on American, air power versus Russian aeriarstrength. The New Mexico' senator is chairman of the appropriations subcommittee for the armed forces. "We expect a small Increase in the size of the Air Force, and in this connection, we discussed Las Vegas and Hobbs in any further activation of wings," Chavez said. New Mexico's senior senator got a promise from Talbott and Twining that the Air Force would'send a survey; team to New Mexico in the near future to look at both Hobbs and Las Vegas.

"I specifically asked that the team look at Las Vegas and Hobbs, and any other suitable sites in New, Mexico should get their consideration," the senator said. 0 Mine-Mill Union Re-Elects Staff DENVER (Jf) The Interna tional Union of Mine, Mill Smelter Workers (Ind) announced Friday that on the basis of unofficial returns, all of its inter national officers have been re elected. Also carried was a proposed constitutional change to give au tonomy to the union's Canadian section. A committee will meet here June 6 to tabulate the vote officially. i The officers re-elected are: John Clark, Denver, Orvllle Larson, Miami, Ariz.iyA bury Howard, Bessemer, and NeU Thibault, vice presidents, and Albert Pez- zati, Denver, secretary-treasurer, Its Confusing Enough Without Street Signs You would think it is difficult enough to find your way around in some parts of Carlsbad without malicious confusion.

Police were notified Friday morning that yard markers have been stolen' from 614, 616 and West Blodgett street The markers were valued at $5. Charles Anderson, 606 North Lake, reported that a cream colored Superchief bicycle, valued at $10, had been stolen from the yard of that house, At directors of the Arch-Hurley Conservancy District called a meeting for Monday to boost allocations of water to farm ers. Conchas Lake, from which the irrigation water-, is drained, was rising at one foot an hour and the heavy runoff from Springer- Raton area was yet to come. Albert Mitchell, prominent ranch er and head of. the district, saidx the supply was great enough to m-, crease allotments and restore soma crops, such as hay, to irrigation.

-They had been cut off for several months. Iain Tapering Off Some 55,000 acre-feet of water has poured into the lake since early this week. The Tucumcarl area Itself has received better than two Inches of moisture in the past three davs. Early Friday there was considerable cloudiness in aU but the south west part of the state. most of the moisture was (Continued On Page Two) Leak Threatening Raton water Supply After Cloudburst RATON Workers Friday continued to search for the source of a leak that has threatened -but not seriously this city's water supply.

WITH $90,000 Motel sAnd AAA Elap Speed Traps The leak started Thursday and continued all last night, probably caused by heavy rains that dumped 8.47 inches on the area within a 50-hour period. Officials said the leak was in the earthen embankment of Lake Maloya northeast of Raton, the city's water reservoir. They said it was about enough to fill a six-inch pipe not under pressure. The heavy rains, as much in the three-day period as JACKSONVILLE, Ala. It) Four armed white, men robbed the First National Bank of Jacksonville of between $85,000 and $90,000 Friday, after kidnaping a bank official from his home.

The surprised Jesse N. Wood, assistant vice president and cashier, at his house and forced him to accompany two men to the bank while the other two guarded his wife and two children. At the bank they waited meeting employes as they arrived for work, tieing them up and put ting them in a back room. When a time lock opened the bank vault they scooped up be twecn $83,000 and $90,000 and carried it off in a repossessed bank car. Dan Gray, bank vice president, made the estimate of the amount stolen.

He said the loss was covered by insurance, One of the two Wen who went to the bank! was armed with a fell during 1934, caused water to ALBUQUERQUE W) motor and motel organizations have charged that state police have set up speed traps near Al-i buquerque and are ordering motorists who are cited to report immediately for trial. The three groups have protested to Gov. John F. Simms. They are the New Mexico Motor Hotel Association, the Albuquerque Motor Court Association, and the New Mexico Motor Club.

According to the three groups, police are setting speed traps on Nine Mile Hill west of Albuquerque on U.S. 68. The protest to Simms added: The state police in the Albuquerque area are telling all mo- run six feet oyer the Lake Maloya embankment at the height of tha downpour. No damage to the city or prl- vate property has been though a -small, wooden bridge was washed out yesterday. The 8.4? inches for the ending at 6 p.m.

yesterday brought this years rainfall in Raton to 13-39 All of 1954 saw only inches tall in tha area. 7 ft.