Pittston Gazette from Pittston, Pennsylvania • Page 1

OldestNewspaper Of Continuous Publication In The Wyoming Anthracite Coal Field COMPLETE TELEGRAPHIC SERVICE OF THE UNITED PRESS WEATHER TEMPEEATtJEE Mostly eloudy tonighi and Wednesday. Slightly warmer in wast portion tonight Shewn by Raeordlng Therm neter on Qasatta bulldlngi 92, 3 p. m. Min, 66, 6 nw PITTSTON, TUESDAY, AUGUST 15, 1939 FIFTY CENTS A MONTH 8IX DOLLARS A YEAE WEEKLY ESTABLISHED 1880 DAILT EST. BT THBO.

HABT. 1888 SIX PAGES 7 90th YEAE OF CRUMPLED STREAMLINER MANY OBJECTING I TO CHANGING DATE SUSPENSION OF OIL PRODUCTION GOES INTO EFFECT WITNESSES GIVE ENGINEER TEMPLE GOOD CHARACTER i OF THANKSGIVING SCHOOL BOARD IS AIR VIEW How the luxury train City a score of lives is graphically Campobelio Island, New Brunswick. Aug. 15. President Roosevelt is going to move Thanksgiving Day up a week this year he said at a press conference at his mother's summer home.

For the last six yeara, he explained, a great many people hare been complaining that there is too long an interval between the Labor Day holiday early in September and Thanksgiving Day toward the end of November, and that the time is too short between Thanksgiving and Christmas. This sounds silly, he said. But he added that stores, working people and retailers had pro posed that Thanksgiving be chang City Controller Emerson Howler submitted his report of an audit of the accounts of Pittston City School District to directors last evening at a regular meeting of the board held in the High School building and won the commendation of Board clfic recommendations accompanied tne rePrt the controller's audit, i tne rlrst 01 which was immediately adPted. These recommendatton I are: i. mat tne district prepare Jax ljIen Project under WPA aua Pices, similar to that recently ducted by the City of Pittaton, ao SEEKING TO HAV GARMENTS ISSUED jm the usual last Thursday "airman Jonn v.

n.enoe tor a rein November. This year Thanks voit "very well prepared." Two ape of San Francisco was crumpled into wreckage that snuffed out shown in this lair photo. Derailed at high speed in the narrow as t0 brins up t0 date pass near Carlin, some of the 1 7 cars overturned beside through the bridge into the Humboldt River, killing 20 persons, recuruB Proviae a complete tax mslory 01 eacn property in tie city anu aller tms project is completed, 10 nave tne continue with 1 D0KKeePg system Urn la irouueea. This suggestion was first referred to the board as a committee of tit whole for consideration. Toward the close of the session Secretary M.

J. Clarke sponsored a motion GOVERNOR URGES FINDING OF JOBS FOR 21,000 MORE STATE APPROVES PJJr 1, 'uw the one now In use In Pittston City; It was passed by unanimous Tot' Z. That a ledger sheet aet Trfl teToTnTsVcn 8 report 18 the contention of the auditor that penaltiea are add Tu" 7 TZJCZZZT T' a wat SKTKi ames Mr. Kehoe called jltentlon item in the audit which aTOwataaV expenditure of $319,000 laaTyJS, fop th LtZZZ' UHlUib, Dusiness. He assails nntlflMi tacronlsts who.

ha been gqjng around displaying: notices in an effort to discredit the school directors, accusing; the dt. rectors of reaDonslhilltv fm. ins the per capita tax from S3 te.il per person. 4 "If we didn't have to naw tafc. era whom By JAY WELLS United Press Staff Correspondent Dallas, Aug.

15. Black gold ceased to flow in Texas today, Operators of the State's 87,000 oil wells, turned off the flow of crude at 9 a.m. EDT, by decree of the Texas Railroad Commission, The shutdown, which forced tens of thousands of oil field worker into at least 15 days Idleness, was ordered by the commission, con trolling body for production in Texas, in the hope that it would bring an immediate increase in crude prices slashed last week by all the major refiners. Early reports from the fields from which 40 per cent of the total American production is piped in dicated operators had compiled with the shutdown order without demonstration. Field workers, how.

ever, heaped condemnation on the refiners, who they blamed for their idleness. Virtually every buyei of crude in this market had slashed prices, The cuts ranged, depending upon the classification of oil, from three to 35 cents a barrel. Most of the product from which gasoline is distilled was cut 20 cents a barrel and was valued at 85 cents to $1. A few independent operators. hardest hit by the shutdown, had indicated last night that they might defy it and seek to continue their pumps operating.

Some said an injunction would be demanded to 'avert the shutdown which they termed "confiscatory." But none had developed. Producers expected the shutdown to be extended, perhaps later to day, over the entire midcontinent area. Representatives of eight states met in Oklahoma City with the Interstate Oil Compact Commission to discuss the advisability of such measures, which would, if made effective for a month or more, paralyze the whole industry. Oil men estimated that the major corapenies had oil in storage in an amount sufficient to keep their refineries going full blast for only about two weeks. BANDITS HELD UP Long Beach, N.

Aug. 16. A messenger carrying funds to a post office was held up by five men today and robbed of approximately $70,000. The messenger from the National City Bank of Long Beach was accompanied by a bank floorman and a policeman, who was stripped of his revolver when the bandits threatened him with a machine gun. An eye witness, Patrick Breen, post office janitor, who was sweeping the sidewalk, said three of the bandits, armed with revolvers stepped, from a dark sedan around the corner when the messenger, patrolman and floorman approached the post office.

Two other men sat in the car, one at the wheel and the other In the rear, training a machine gun on the hold up scene. The bandits' car, reportedly stolen from New York City, was reported seen speeding east a few moments later. There were sev eral reports of the fleeing men, The money was being taken from the National City Bank of Long Beach to the post office here for transfer to the Federal Reserve Bank in New York. The bank messenger was James Drosden. Patrolman Jamea Liquorl, who accompanied Drosden, said one of the three men who approached him and Drosden was armed with a sub machine gun, carried under his arm, and the other two with revolvers.

EXETER MAN HELD FOR THEFT OF AUTO Alleged to have stolen an auto mobile in Geneva, N. a young; man described as Peter Ruganis, of R. Exeter, was arrested yesterday afternoon at Ransom by T. E. Atherton, State fish warden, who turned his prisoner over to the Pennsylvania Motor Police at the Wyoming Barracks.

SHAMOKIN WORKMAN KILLED IN FALL. Shamokln, Aug. 15. Arthur Zimmerman, 28. of Shamokin, was injured fatally today when a scaffold collapsed while he was painting a building.

Zimmerman fell GO feet to the ground. He died at a Shamokln hospital of a skull fracture. INKERMAN HANDBALL PAIR WIN AT SCRANTON Joe Glllls and Leo Gorman, rep resenting the Inkerman A. advanced In the Northeastern Pennsylvania doubles handball tourney at the Catholic Club Field in Scranton yesterday by downing John Davis and Gene Farry. 31 14.

The Gillls Gorman pair will play BANK MESSENGER AND GOT $70,000 never worked a day It might fct SECOND LIFT OF SUNKEN SUB SET FOR II With The Squalus Salvage Fleet, Off Portsmouth, N. Aug. 15. Navy salvagers completed prepara tions for the second lift of the sunken submarine Squalus today and announced that it will start at 5 a. m.

(EDT) tomorrow. By 7 a. aided by the incoming tide, they expectHo egin towing the $5,000,000 submersible and its cargo of 26 dead men toward 'a point four to six miles nearer shore. The timetable for the next step In the U. S.

Navy's greatest salvage project was announced just before the Seawolf, virtually a Bister ship Of the ill starred Squalus, went down the ways at a private launching ceremony at Portsmouth Navy Yard. One of the ten 70 ton pontoons used Saturday in the first lift was detached today and towed 14 miles to the Navy Yard, as it will not be needed in the next stage of salvage operations. The other two stern pontoons on the surface were lowered to 80 feet in a series of dives, so that now five stern and four bow pontoons are in their submerged locations. When the fully flooded stern and partly flooded bow of the Squalus have teen lifted to their new level, the sunken craft will be towed shoreward in the same manner as Saturday. Thus, the navy tug Wan dank will be towing the Squalus and, through an ingenious combination of cables, the Squalus, In turn, will be towing the Falcon, "mother ship" of the salvage fleet.

Navy officials announced that measurements taken Saturday showed there is 1,050 tons of water in the Squalus. Swift completion of today's diving operations was made possible by ideal weather conditions. Oversides from the salvage ship Falcon went four of the 60 divers cooperating in the U. S. ivy's greatest salvage project One of the three stern pontoons on the surface was lowered 80 feet to the position necessary for the next lift Another of the 70 ton.

barrellike pontoons was detached and towed to a mooring near the tug Sagamore as this will not be needed during the second stage of raising operations. Divers then prepared tp lower the stern pontoon 80 feet. The bow pontoons were lowered 105 feet yesterday. With the stern pontoons at 80 feet the Squalus, now on an uneven keel on an "uncharted pinnacle," will be level when the next lift is made. Officials estimated today that approximately a year would be re quired to recondition the Squalus after it is drydocked at Portsmouth Navy Yard.

WELL STRIKE Officers of the United Mine Workers arranged to meet this afternoon with Angelt Gatti and John Ginini, Wilkes Earre, oper. ators of the Broadwell colliery, Moosic, to discuss settlement of the strike called at the operation yes terday. About seventy five pickets were at the approaches to the col liery yesterday and this morning as a result work was tied up com pletely. There was no disorder. WORK SCHEDULE OF COLLIERIES PENNA.

COAL CO. Idle Wadneiday. SULLIVAN TRAIL CO. Working Wednesday. PAYNE COAL CO.

Working Wednesday. KEHOE BERGE COAL CO. No. 36, No. 37, No.

11 and Kehoe Berge breaker working Wednesday. VOLPE COAL CO. Working Wednesday. JERMYN GREEN Idle Wednesday. MINERAL 8PRINGS Idle Wednesday.

ANTHRACITE COAL CO. Working Wednesday HEIDELBERG COAL CO. Undecided. 1M0RR0W Harrlsburg, Aug. IS.

The prosecution accused a defense witness in the Kirk Skok Temple trial today of receiving "favoritism" from the highways department for patronizing the James P. Kirk Bonding Agency, Pittsburgh. The accusation was denied by the witness, N. B. Putman.

Harris burg road contractor, first of the character witnesses called by counsel for co defendant H. H. Temple, former chief engineer for the State Highways Department. Putman testified under direct examination that Temple never asked him to do his performance bonding with the agency of co defendant Kirk but said he let Kirk's salesman, co defendant Victor S. Skok, write "probably a half dozen of my bonds." On cross examination, Earl V.

Compton, special assistant district attorney, asked the witness this question "You got considerable favoritism from the department in Inspections, did you not?" "I did not," Putman replied. "They let you use small posts on a Cumberland county road project and let you place posts with the large ends upward for a guard rail, did they not?" Compton per sisted. "They did not," the witness again replied. Judge Fred S. Reese approved Compton's request that the witness "stand aside subject to recall by the prosecution." The implication drawn from Compton's remarks was that the State Intends to attempt proving that Road Contractor Putman received special consideration from project inspectors on defendant Temple's staff for bonding with the Kirk Agency.

Temple was on the stand briefly at opening of today's court session. He reiterated his previous admission that he requested road contractors in 1936 and 1937 to bond either with the Kirk Agency or the John C. Manley Agency of Philadelphia. Temple renewed also his insistence that he relayed the request for his superior, the late Warren Van Dyke, then secretary of highways. He said Van Dyke explained to him that the Democratic State Committee desired that the road contractor bonding business be divided between the two agencies "friendly" to the Democratic administration of former Gov.

George H. Earle. Other character witnesses called by Temple's attorney, William J. Neely, were A. T.

Campbell, Mar tinsburg, Howard R. Pratt, chief engineer for the Western Maryland railroad, and Willis B. Conger, salesman for the Kutztown Steel Company. Pratt said he had known Temple "very well for i 15 years," dating from the defendant's service as chief engineer of the Pittsburgh and Western Maryland railroad. Pratt said Temple did "some fine pieces of construction" for the rail' road.

Andrew G. Berger, Pittsburgh banker, testifying as a character witness for co defendant Kirk, said he believed Kirk, Pittsburgh city treasurer and Allegheny county Democratic chairman, had an "ex cellent reputation for honesty, integrity and as a law abiding cltl (Continued on Page Three) PER CENT. RECENT LOSS New York, Aug. 16. Stocks ad vanced today for the fourth con secutive session and at the highs the market had regained more than 60 per cent of the recent decline.

Automobile and steel Issues led the advance which began at the opening. All groups participated al though there were individual ex ceptlons. Some of the oils de clined on the unsettled conditions In that Industry. R. H.

Macy made a new low in an otherwise firm mercantile group. Demand for the motors was stim ulated by the favorable Chrysler report for the second quarter, re leased after the close yesterday. Chrysler reached 84, up 2 8 points; General Motors 48 up 1. Part of these gains was retained. New highs were made by the Columbia Broadcasting issues, In ter Chemical, Marine Midland, and Procter Gamble.

Allied Chemical rose 8 points and gains of a point to 2 points were registered by Chesapeake Ohio, Columbia Carbon, Amerada, General Mills, HerculeB Powder, Llb bey Owens Ford Glass, Mohawk Carpet Kendall preferred. May Department Stores, Monsanto Chemical, Owens Illinois Glass, J. C. Penney. Union Carbide, United Fruit and U.

S. Rubber preferred. Philadelphia. Aug. 15.

"'II soon join your mother," said sorrowing George Mlhallk, 65, to a son. Then he knelt in an adjoining room to pary for his wife who died two months ago. They found him there on his knees against a chair, dead of a heart attack. possible for Us to continue th Lf 'i per capita tax rate," Mr. Keboa raa market Controller Howley'a report submitted to Solicitor Frank Mi fContiflllAA tin B.M ilSMk 11 w.

STITHIIDE CHECK CUB LIGHTS giving would normally fall on November 30, and Mr. Roosevelt has decided to sue a Droclama tion setting aside November 23 as Thankscivine Dav. Harrlsburg. Aue. 15.

Gov. Arth. ur H. Jamea toriav that Pennsylvania will conform with President Roosevelt's precedent in observing Thanksgiving Day this year on Nov. 23.

a week earlier than custom. "Since the president this year has decided that the Wurth Thurs day of November is a better oc casion for the Thanksgiving obser' vance than is the fifth James said, "I shall follow his precedent. When the time comes for the issuance of my Thanksgiving Day proclamation, it will be for the same day as designated by the president. James saw eye to eye with the president on the earlier holiday date, despite the fact that the gov MtoZZXSZ Thr no ih. hi the presid For many yeara It has been the custom in thl.

State for the gov JJrZX oay r.OT.v. the circumstances I shall fo1 low his precedent." jii Aug. io. ine birthplace of Thanksgiving today protested President Roosevelt's plan iu piuuBim me nuiiuay a wee earner man usual. Chairman James Frasier, of the Selectmen, said he would "place I the matter before the board offi cially" at the next meeting, "be I cause we here in Plymouth consid I er tne aay sacrea.

Plymouth and Thanksgiving are oractlcallv svnonvmous." he said. I and merchants or no merchants, I I can't see any reason for changing I thn nhaArvflnoA frnm tfiA trnHltlnnnl I last Thursday tn November. The town's various historical and antiquarian societies were expect ed to voice similar disapproval. Atlantic City, N. Aug.

15. The women's division of the At lantic City Chamber of Commerce today asked President Roosevelt, while he was about It, to change I the date of the Thanksgiving holl 1 day from Thursday to Friday. In asmuch as the president has ad vanced the holiday one week from the traditional last Thursday In November, the women said, he I mleht as well make the requested additional change in order to make a long week end possible. Rn.trni Ana 1R Three New England governors today assailed President Roosevelt's Thanksglv ing date shifting. Massachusetts' Governor Lever Galtnnatnll nhnll healtate A long time before I make any change.

move Thanksgiving forward a week seems to me to be more upsetting than advantageous.1 nr.ln.'a nncmnr T.AHL'ln O. Rflr rows 'This is the most foolish of ed by the president. will stay as It Is. and I guess the rest I ot New tngiana win reiuae iu regimented on its noimays. Vermont Governor ueorge u.

Aiken "If tne president minus the two nouaays are 100 near gether. It's a wonaer ne aian 1 change Christmas. We aren't very quicK 10 manse ucs unless it means reai progress, it don't see wnat can De gainea oy shifting Thanksgiving uay. Rhode Island's Governor Wll Ham H. Vanderbilt said that "there appears to be some common sense In the plan, but I intend to study the law more fully and see what the people think before deciding what to do." New York, Aug.

15. Former Gov. Harold G. Hoffman, of New Jersey, said today he approved the president's decision to advance the Thanksgiving holiday one week. 'No more horse and buggy Hoffman said.

"These are modern New Deal days. I'm for a I WPA project to move Plymouth Rock to Passamaquoddy and the half cracked Liberty Bell from Philadelphia to Hyde Park." Lancaster. Pa. Aug. 15.

Dan I A state wide check la being made on motor vehicles with glaring the tracks, others smashed injuring over 100. DEATH TOLL OF Reno, Nev. Aug. 15. The desert reaches of Nevada were searched today for a man or men who might have deliberately wrecked the Southern Pacific's brown and yel low streamlined train.

City of San Francisco, and killed 23 persons late Saturday night. Transients by the score were picked up and questioned at every hamlet throughout the state. In every case those so far questioned had proved to authorities they were innocent of the crime of sabotage charged by railroad officials. The bodies of three additional victims bringing the death toll in the wreck of the $2,400,000 train to 23 were taken to Elko early today. They were identified as Mrs.

Henry Pepper Rosomont, her daughter Susan, and Henry Speck, 35, white cook on the dining car. The wife of tho undertaker who brought in the bodies said she was informed that two more bodies had been found in the debris, but this was not confirmed. Meanwhile a man with defaced ears widely sought throughout the state was questioned and released in nearby Sparks, railroad division point. He grinned at police and said, "I knew you'd get me," but men who questioned him said he had proved he was at Pyramid Lake, 300 miles from the scene at the hour the fast train plunged through a broken rail at Humboldt river, just west of Carlin. Early arrivals at the scene had reported seeing a man without ears watching rescue work from a near by hill.

He fled when sheriffs deputies called to him. Federal Bureau of Investigation men here said they had "nothing to go to support Reports of sabotage and closed their office early last night. A police chief at a Ne vada town, asked how many sus pects he had detained, replied with this question: "How many do you want?" One of the clues cited by rail road officials as evidence that the train was deliberately wrecked was the presence of a spike puller at the scene. They said one rail had been moved inward on a curve so the speeding streamliner would be derailed. A crowbar at the scene, it developed today, had been drop ped from a relief train.

A. D. McDonald, president of the Southern Pacific, told the United Press that his special agents had "some evidence" pointing toward a particular person as a saboteur. He bluntly refused to amplify the state ment. He said secrecy was essen tial.

OF Scranton, Aug. 15. Approximate ly 350 of tho 600 persons now em ployed in the education recreation division of the WPA In Lackawan na, Wayne, Wyoming, Pike and Susquehanna counties are scheduled to be dropped from the WPA pay rolls on Thursday, Aug. 31, according to information received here today. The workers will be dismissed under the eighteen month continu ous employment clause of the Woodrum WPA appropriation act.

Twenty five of those scheduled for dismissal are listed as non relief employes, leaving but fifteen non relief person engaged on the AN DISASTER NCREASEDT023 lights, according to a warning sued yesterday by the Keyatona, Automobile Club. Motorists to make sure their lighting ,) equipment conforms to the law" 7. requirements. alate Motor Police are making tne check up, which followed many complaints that glaring lights weea causing unnecessary naxara On Harrisburg, Aug. 15.

Gov. Ar thur H. James today directed every member of his cabinet to "dig in at once" to find as many new jobs as possible for 21,000 WPA workers added to Pennsylvania's Septem ber Federal Works quota. Highly pleased with Federal WPA officials' recognition of his con tention that the State is entitled to more WPA jobs, James told his cabinet members to find projects to absorb as large a percentage as possible of the increased quota. He emphasized that there is only two weeks in which to lineup the worthwhile September projects, The State's September WPA quo ta originally was set at 129,000, but State WPA Administrator Philip Mathews yesterday was directed by Federal Administrator F.

C. Harrington to boost the figure to 150.000. providing the State creates sufficient projects to absorb the additional workers. Differences between the High ways Department and WPA head quarters as to where the blame lies for delay in starting projects was heightened today when Highways Secretary I. Lamont Hughes Informed the governor: "I can put 10,000 men to work tomorrow if we could get Wash ington action of WPA projects al ready approved by the State WPA office." Hughes explained that there are that many jobs ready to be filled, but were held up because he cannot get final action from the WPA.

The WPA has contended for some time that the State has been lax In providing WPA projects for em ployment. Other departments, including agriculture and public Instruction indicated they could "dig up" some WPA projects. OF OBSERVED TODAY Cristobal, C. Aug. 15.

The S. S. Ar.con, of Panama Railways, which 25 years ago today made the first transit of the Panama Canal, steamed through again today during a gala celebration of the canal's opening. The Ancon carried 820 passengers to Balboa, at the Pacific end of the canal. Thirty five naval planes maneuvered overhead.

The Ancon was preceded by the destroyer J. Fred Talbot. It presented a colorful sight, with flags flying, passengers crowding the rails on every deck, the Army Band playing and whistles booming from tugs and liners in the harbor. Pilot K. M.

W'ikingstad, oldest in the service, was chosen for the An con's transit. The canal banks were lined with hundreds of residents of the zone and Panamanians. A holiday was declared in both jurisdictions. HELEN KELLER'S BOOK IS UNDER NAZI BAN Berlin, Aug. 15.

The Nazi propaganda ministry today banned un til further notice Helen Keller's 'Journal 1938 1937." The book, by the famous American author and lecturer who is blind and deaf, bad criticized Nazism. "'any iiignways. iiwieaa 01 I01IOW ln former practice of halting all ES Assurance was received today by City Clerk Joseph P. Fitzpatrick from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Department of Highways, that ordinances recently adopted by City Council to permit the state to proceed with re surfacing of North Main street between Fort Jenkins bridge and Parsonage street; and the re surfacing of William street to the Pittston Township line to Defoe street, have been found in proper order. It was announced that the state has executed a copy of the agreement by which the city consents to accept responsibility for paving of that stretch of North Main street between the tracks of the Lehigh Valley Railroad, which is privately owned property which the company permits the city to use as a section of its roadway on North Main street.

"As far as I know this is the final step in the preliminary Mr. Fitzpatrick informed the Ua zette and he predicted that the ac tual work of re surfacing the high ways will begin shortly. FINANCE FOR WORLD'S FI New York, Aug. 15. A plan to refinance the New York World's Fair to place it upon sound basis and insure rapid payment of obli gations to contractors and others, was proposed to the bondholders today by the Fair Corporation.

Grover A. halen, president, of the Fair Corporation, and Bayard F. Pope, treasurer, who announced the plan, said its success would be ensured by a total of 25,000,000 per sons. The $27,000,000 bond issue of the fair is held by approximately 3,900 individual firms, banks and cor porations with 39 of these holding an estimated of the is sue. The fair officers indicated a substantial majority of the bond holders were In favor of the plan which will become operative when 51 per cent of them have approved It.

The fair, which opened April 30 and will close Oct. 31, had exnectea to draw an attendance unward of 40,000,000 persons. The estimate based upon attendance at other fairs, were revised when the mid season attendance figures indicated gate far short, of the pre fair figures. OFFICE DISMANTLED Office equipment and files were moved from the old County WPA office in the Globe Building, Public Square, Wilkes Earre, and taken to Scranton. The office was abolished recently.

County WPA projects will be supervised from Scranton. Thrifco Spark Plugs 39c each Consumers' Gas Oil Co. CITY ORDINANC ONS REET PAVING cars at specified points and exam ining the equipment, police now single out vehicles with glaring lights, permitting others to continue without interruption. STROUDSBURQ 8UICIDV Stroudsburg, Aug. 15.

Wil liam F. Schroeder. aged 64 bJ footing him ill health. tnv that tv, h.nn the Thanksgiving date would make any difference In the Amlsh wed Alnr th gtart8 early November, after harvesting 1. pnded.

and denenfla mop whB' th awM. ed tnan on Thanksgiving. Amlshmen observe the holiday It lf wlth however, and these probably will follow the date, Glick said. Nolo Playing At i Local Theaters (With starting time of Feature Picture) AMERICAN "Each Dawn I Die with James Cagney and George Raft 1:10, 3:10, 6:10, 7:10, 9:10 ROMAN "Grand Jury Secrets" with Gall Patrick and John Howard 2:00. 4:00.

:00. 8:00 and ef Bmoketown, I again Thursday. lei M. Glick,.