The Decatur Daily Review from Decatur, Illinois • Page 22

I a I PAGES TODAY. THE DECATUR REVIEW Decatur, Illinois, Tuesday, March 9, 1954. Supervisors Cool To Bond Proposal On Roads, Bridges A of President's Letter Read, Filed By County Board While County Clerk Laurence Tangney droned through the reading of a letter urging bond issue financing of county road and bridge projects, County Board members today gave little attention. At the close of reading the letter, written by Harold Pogue, president of the Association of Commerce, a routine motion to receive and file the letter was adopted without discussion. Pogue expressed his prospects that the County Board is about to change direction on its recently announced bridge improvement program, including new spans for Rea's bridge and a modern Lost Bridge.

Republican members met last; night in caucus and, apparently agreed with the county highway committee recommendation that highway improvements be made with current revenues. Pogue said in his letter that the earlier proposal for a county road and bridge bond issue was "hailed by the public generally." He said he believed the highway committee headed by T. A. Brinkoetter was mistaken in the belief that voters would not approve a bond issue. Pogue pointed out the wide margins by which school and Sanitary District bonds were approved.

He said these proposals were approved with knowledge the money would come from taxation, while the highway and bridge bonds would be retired with money allotted to the county from state gasoline taxes. He said the state has planned an extensive program in belief the county would do likewise and suggested it is "a grave mistake to let the state down." The Board approved four projects for its 1954 program, including one of the spans for Rea's bridge, and for that job adopted a resolution appropriating $96,000 of motor fuel tax revenue. DRILLING HALTED Test Well Work Stopped When Equipment Is Damaged Drilling of a test well in Allerton Park for the city was halted temporarily yesterday afternoon when the drilling rig struck a large boulder and broke. The work was to resume as soon as repairs to the equipment is completed. Mayor Robert E.

Willis said he had been told that 130 feet of excellent water-bearing material had been found before the drill was damaged at a depth of 230 feet. The city is drilling in Allerton Park under a temporary permit from the University of Illinois, owner of the park. University officials have said they are doubtful that the city can be permitted to construct a permanent well in the park. THADDEUS BANNISTER, 69, FORMER SALESMAN, DIES Thaddeus Oakes Bannister, 69, of 804 S. 21st died at 2 a.

m. today in St. Mary's Hospital. He had been ill several days. Born June 15, 1885, in Odell, he was the son of the late Dr.

T. O. and Hannah Bannister. Mr. Bannister had lived in Decatur 12 years and was a retired salesman for the DuPont Company.

The only surviving relative is a niece, Mrs. Edna Turner, of Odell. The body will be taken from the J. J. Moran Sons Funeral Home to the Watson Funeral Home in Odell.

Burial will be in the Livingston County Memorial Park Cemetery. Other arrangements are incomplete. Gas Main Approved The City Council yesterday proved an application from the Illinois Power Company for permission to instal 689 feet of 4-inch gas main to serve eight new. customers near the South Westlawn-West Sunset intersection. Four of the homes are at the northeast and northwest corners of the intersection and the rest are on the north side of Sunset, west of Westlawn.

First Aid Meeting Some 50 first aid instructors in Macon County have been invited to a meeting next Tuesday to get new information on first aid. Everett Riedel, director of safety services for the Macon County Red Cross chapter, said the meeting will be held at 7 p. m. Tuesday in the chapter office. Letter Filed On Damages At Homewood A letter detailing alleged sewer construction damages to Homewood Fishing Club grounds was filed by the Sanitary District yesterday without discussion by Sanitary Board members, according to District Supt.

W. D. Hatfield. Dr. Hatfield said "All of the damage claims appear to be legitimate and the damages should be repaired under terms of the agreement with the interceptor sewer contractors." Sanitary District Attorney Walker H.

Mills said the letter wasn't available for a reporter to see today. Mills said the damage claims were within the normal easement provisions for restoring right of way after sewers are put in, and the whole thing had better be forgotten, "You're just stirring up trouble." Hatfield said the letter made 1 no assessment of damages and didn't demand money for repairs. He said the sewer contractors plan to make repairs in the area during clean up work that normally follows construction, but this has been delayed temporarily to concentrate on sewer construction. Lyle V. DeWitt of the Sanitary Board said the letter "merely reiterates what is in the terms of the easement." Homewood residents objected when a ditch was cut at the end of the dam to drain the club's lake.

The contractor promised to repair the dam, and engineers are designing water-tight "key" structure to seal the cut. Ordinance Regulating Lateral Sewer Connections Being Drawn Decatur Sanitary District trustees yesterday authorized the drafting of an ordinance for lateral sewers and connections with the new interceptor sewers. Supt. W. D.

Hatfield said the ordinance will set certain standards in keeping with city and state health codes. Although details of the ordinance were not worked out, trustee Lyle V. DeWitt suggested that all laterals and connections be planned by professional engineers. The ordinance probably will be ready for formal action by the Sanitary Board at its next meeting in April. Hatfield said that in the past the Sanitary District has authorized sewer connections by special permit.

The new law should be helpful to groups planning for lateral sewers, he said, because it will give them some definite rules and regulations to follow. ODD FELLOWS MEET Degrees to be Conferred at Johns Hill Saturday Plans are now complete for the six-county meeting of the Odd Fellows in Decatur Saturday. The meeting will be at 7 p. m. in the Johns Hill High School, M.

Acey Wickiser, head of Decatur Lodge No. 65, announced. About 250 IOOF members from surrounding counties are, expected to attend the meeting which will begin with initiation ceremonies from 7 to 9 p. m. The initiatory degree, past grand master and grand lodge degrees will be conferred at the meeting, Wickiser said.

The Illinois Grand Master, George Skidmore of Bloomington, is expected to attend. Following the ceremonies, wives and guests will join the members for an entertainment program. The program chairman is Pearl Emrick. INDUCTION CALL Macon County Selective Service Board 162, which takes its men from the county east of Route 51, will send three men to St. Louis for induction April 23.

Six other men have received notices for April 23. Board 163, taking men from the west half of Macon County, will send three men to St. Louis for induction April 23. Mrs. Gary Crone, Peoria, state children's worker for the Disciples of Christ, will be dean of the Decatur Church Council's pre-Easter workshop for church school teachers and parents Thursday in First Presbyterian Church.

Mrs. Crone has visited Decatur frequently as a leader in Church Council conferences and workshops. Putnam Asks For Release Fred H. Putnam, filed a petition for a writ of habeas corpus today in Circuit Court in a new effort to gain release from the Joliet penitentiary, where he is serving a life sentence for the murder of Dalton Rice on Jan. 4, 1947.

Rice was shot with a shotgun while Putnam was robbing a gambling room in the Decatur Labor Temple. In his petition today, Putnam repeats many allegations upon which he has failed to win release in previous efforts. He alleges he was not advised correctly by his lawyer and that he was suffering from a mental disturbance related to his World War II service, when he pleaded guilty to the murder. In January, 1953, Gov. William G.

Stratton denied Putnam's petition for executive clemency. The conviction has been affirmed by the Illinois Supreme Court, which also has turned down Putnam's request for a post conviction hearing. WARRENSBURG-LATHAM PUPILS WIN AT CONTEST Five entries from WarrensburgLatham High School won first division ratings at the solo and ensemble music contest at Bloomington Saturday. Arvin Potter, cornet soloist, won a first rating and will advance to the state contest at Macomb in April. Others winning firsts were cornet solo, by Stanley Tuttle, a brass quartet, a saxophone quartet and a bass clarinet solo by LeRoy Hoffman.

Three entries won second division ratings, Robert Barstead, instructor announced. Mrs. F. Herr was accompanist for soloists. WOMAN, 78, INJURED IN 4-VEHICLE CRASH Mrs.

Mary Jacobs, 78, Rural Route 7, treated by a physician yesterday after three cars and a truck were involved in an accident at Jasper and Eldorado Streets. She was in a car driven by Edith Rucker, 45, Rural Route 7. The truck was driven by C. W. Mansfield, 50, of 528 N.

Water St. The other cars were driven by Gene Bentley, 18, of Bement and Robert Cortz, 25, of Macon. Police said the accident started, when the Bentley car hit the rear of the Cortz car. LICENSES REVOKED Revocation of the driving license of Glenn A. Montague, 648 S.

Wise was announced today by Charles F. Carpentier, secretary of state. The license of Clarence B. Dees, Taylorville, also was revoked. Both licenses were revoked as result of convictions on charges of driving while under the influence of liquor.

Project News Travels Far Mrs. Armstrong Asked to Write on Study Somehow--she doesn't know just how--news of Mrs. Agnes Armstrong's class project on Russia, which her ninth grade social studies-English class at Johns Hill carried out and culminated with two radio broadcasts and a television show, has reached New York University and she has been asked to write an 800-word description of it. The description is to be published by the John Dewey Society in a volume titled "Teaching About World Affairs in American The book will be a collection of Cap, Button Identification Under Fire Starling Blamed With Sabotage of WTVP'8 Breakfast Club Show A starling shut off station WTVP's transmitters early this morning and sabotaged the scheduled Breakfast Club television program. Chief Engineer Hubert Abfolter said a station watchman noticed some of the lights flicker out about 4 a.

m. The trouble was traced to "one very dead starling" which had somehow tripped an overload circuit breaker atop a pole by the station. Abfelter figured the bird either flew into the circuit breaker or pecked at it. When it broke the circuit, an electric arc killed the bird. By the time the trouble was located and an Illinois Power Company emergency crew had repaired the circuit breaker, the Breakfast Club program was over.

Board Names: Macon Acres Nursing Home Macon Acres Nursing Home will be the new name for the County Home and Hospital, Russell Hirsch, chairman of the County Home committe said today. The name change was approved last night in a meeting of Republican members of, the County Board of Supervisors. Hirsch said State's Attorney Kenneth E. Evans has been asked to prepare a resolution changing the name. The change is being made to get away from all I appearances that the home and hospital are institutions for the care of paupers.

7 TONS OF FISH TAKEN FROM LAKE IN JANUARY fish More than seven tons of rough were removed from the lower basin of Lake Decatur last month, according to a report to the city by Milburn Foster. The haul included 8,801 pounds of buffalo, 4,500 pounds, of gizzard shad, 611 pounds of sheephead, 385 pounds of carp and 14 pounds of flathead catfish- -a total of 14,311 pounds. der Fosters seining with crews operate which una contract the city is intended to improve fishing in Lake Decatur by removing the undesirable fish. HOLL TO LOUISVILLE Henry Holl, former club manager of the Decatur Elks has been named manager of the Brown Foreman Distillery hospitality and dining room at Louisville, Kentucky. He will start work Monday, March 15.

Jukebox License A jukebox license was issued by the City Council yesterday to Cleo Wilson' and Erma Ruffner for Jordon's Drive Inn, 2512 N. Main St. February Building Thirty building permits and fees totaling $618.50 during February were reported to the City Council yesterday. JUDGE OPENS NEW Macon County Judge Gus T. Greanias, prepares to cut the ribbon opening the new National Food Store at 437 N.

Broadway this morning. The grand opening ceremonies at the new store will last all week with prizes being given away daily. MODEL BATTLESHIP BUILT BY WOODROW STUDENTS Tom Clark, left, and Charles Givens, pupils in Follis Paul's seventh grade English-social studies class at Woodrow Wilson Junior High School, turned Town Budget Holds Steady Little change from last year is shown in the tentative $468,660 budget for Decatur Township for the fiscal year starting March 16. Appropriations of $375,000 for relief and $11,200 for employes retirement are unchanged. The appropriation of for general purposes is approximately $2,000 higher than last year.

This is caused principally by an increase of salary to $6,000 for Assessor W. F. Brannan. Salary boosts were given township officers last year, but Brannan did not get the higher salary until he started his new term of office in January. The general fund has a starting balance of $10,500, Auditor Franklin Shilling said.

The appropriation for relief is placed higher than anticipated expenditures. For relief the 1953 tax levy is expected to yield $82,000 and $170,000 will be available through anticipation warrants against the 1954 tax revenue. fund shows an unexpended balance of $47,000. The state will provide $170,000 for relief, if needed. The appropriation for deputy assessors is placed at $33,250.

The appropriation to pay members of the Town board of auditors is increased by $2,500 to cover an increase from $3 to $6 for attending meetings. Although the rent for township offices in the County Building are likely to be increased under a renewal of lease, 1 the appropriation for rent is $1,200, the same as last year. A higher appropriation may be made in the annual town meeting next month, if it is found necessary. The relief appropriations include $245,000 for home relief, $64,000 for hospitalization, $14,000 for institutional care and $46.500 for administration, including salaries of the relief office staff. FOOD STORE Joe Caruso, left, a native of Clinton, is manager of the new supermarket.

A large crowd attended the opening at 9 a. m. Store hours are from 9 to 9 daily, except Sundays. (Herald and Review Photo) up with this model battleship when told to do some sort of project as a climax to a unit on the War of 1812. It has a couple of features which aren't quite au- thentic, however.

Inside the hull is a motor and transformer so that the ship "sails" across the floor on wheels and its guns light up and rattle as if they were firing. Oil Interest High Near Blue Mound Test Drilling Spree Underway in Area By John DeBoice Of The Review Staff Reports of three producing oil wells west of Blue Mound Macon and Christian counties have touched off a rash of test drilling and speculation in oil leases in the area, although many drilling ventures have brought nothing but disappointment. The country roads west of Blue Mound are busier than they ordinarily would be this time of vear. Here and there a drilling derrick rises above the flat, black fields. Farmers come and go to see how a drilling crew is making out on another farmer's place.

Cars with out-of-state license, plates shuttle up and down the gravel roads. One belongs to O. G. Neier of Cloverdale, Ind. He describes himself as an "independent operator" with a partner he can't name.

He's out looking "for oil leases. Neier says the old dollar-an-acre lease has given way to "anywhere from five on up" as operators bid for oil drilling rights. "On up" has reached $20 an acre, he says. "Bear in mind I know nothing about it," Neier says. "I'm a rank stranger in this area, but on the basis of this layout to the west here it looks pretty good." He waves toward the farms of Joe and Merville Damery, where two Sun Oil Company wells are reported producing.

Sun drilled the Joe Dampery well a year ago. Then three months ago it was given a "fracturing" treatment by a. Salem chemical firm, Dowell, Inc. A Dowell car, equipped with radio communications, is another stranger hustling around the country roads. According to a Dowell representative, the Joe Damerv well flowed at a rate of 30 barrels an hour after the fracturing treatment.

Sun Oil next drilled on the Merville Damery farm nearby, and another producing well was reported. A third was started on the J. K. Usinger place across the road. Mrs.

Joe Damery said the well on their place is being pumped five or six hours a day because hauling the oil out is a problem. It's producing 50 to .60 barrels in the five or six hours, she said. They leased to Sun for $2 an acre and a oneeighth interest, she said, and have received their first income from the well. Merville Damery said his well is flowing three or four hours a day now, isn't being pumped, and he doesn't know what it's producing. He said he leased to Sun for $5 an acre and a one eighth share, hasn't received any income yet.

A trucker who hauls oil from the two Damery wells said both had been shut down to about 50 barrels a day. Two storage tanks have been set up by each. A pipeline runs to the road from one for loading. The derrick on the Usinger place has been taken down after drilling 1,920 feet. "All I know is it's a dry hole, I guess." Usinger said.

It's practically a stone's throw from the Damery wells. The three are in sight of a new well being drilled on the Albert Gemmer farm, expected to be done this week. "I'm just a roughneck out here," said Tommy Jordan of Carmi over the noise of the big engines. The bit was laboring in hard lime 1,085 feet down, he said. Hinkle Drilling Company and S.

D. Jarvis of Decatur were drilling the Gemmer well, he said. What looked like an oil slick in the gray, mucky water. coming out of the well wasn't oil, Jordan said, but shale dust. "When oil comes out you can't see it and you can't smell it either." Another well is being drilled on the A.

B. Scott farm. The state issued 13 permits. for drilling wells and soil structure tests in the Macon County area last Over in Christian County, Prospector M. H.

Richardson reportedly has a producer on the Earl Long farm in Mosquito Township. Long said she didn't know how much the well produced under pumping. One report was that the well would reach 170 barrels a day. It's not quite 1,900 feet deep. It was drilled Feb.

7 to 13. It isn't pumping all the time. Mrs. Long said the pump had been idle the last four mornings. Other Christian County wells weren't doing anything.

Calvert Drilling Company stopped drilling on the Ralph Mateer farm Tuesday after hitting salt water below 1,900 feet. Mateer said. Shirley Pettus of Taylorville is the prospector. He leased the land a year ago for $1 an acre and an eighth interest. Richardson was reported "fighting salt water" on the E.

H. Brown place. Drilling on the William Scott and N. L. Tankersley farms hadn't produced anything vet.

Oil prospectors say it's too early to tell whether the activity in Macon and Christian Counties will discover a paying oil field or fade out with a few wells producing too little oil, as has happened often in the past. HOUSIAUX IS ATTACHED TO RESEARCH GROUP E. Housiaux, a consulting engineer with Warren Van Praag has received orders attaching him to the Naval Reserve Research Company 9-2 at the University of Illinois. Housiaux, a lieutenant, travels 100 miles twice a month to attend the company's meetings. The company, is a non-pay unit.

Lt. Lyle G. Waller, Clinton, who is associated with the Eureka Williams Corp. in Bloomington, is also a member of the research company. Dental Assistants Meet The Decatur Dental Assistants Association will meet at 7:30 p.m.

Thursday in the office of Dr. W.W. Winter, 369 -W. Prairie Ave. Springfield dental assistants will be guests and Mildred Moore of the physio therapy department of Decatur and Macon County Hospital will speak.

Trial of James Anthony Hayes, 40, continued in Circuit Court today with the prosecution attempting to link him with the $10,000 holdup of tavern operator Mike Frank last Aug. 20. This morning's witnesses, which included a witness to the holdup and Decatur and St. Louis police officers, described the holdup, the discovery of a cap near the scene allegedly identified as Hayes' and the arrest of Hayes in St. Louis.

In cross examinations, Defense Attorney A. R. Ivens sought to break down the identification by showing that witnesses' identification of articles linked to Hayes was less than positive. Decatur police detective J. E.

Smith told of finding a cap in the gutter of the 1900 block North Clinton Street, about a block from the Garfield Tap tavern, scene of the holdup. The cap bore a union button which was allegedly issued to Haves. Under cross examination it was brought out that about an hour and a half elapsed between the holdup and discovery of the cap! An earlier witness, Woodrow Redmon, Rural Route 5, testified that he followed the holdup man away from the tavern and saw him enter a car parked on Clinton Street. Redmon said he saw no object fall from the car as the man entered. Redmon said the car was similar to one shown to him several days later in St.

Louis and identified as the car Hayes was driving when arrested. Ross Laughmiller of Springfield, business agent for operators union 965, said Hayes was issued a button by the union similar to one on the cap. "I could not swear under oath that that is the button," he testified. "There have been two issues of buttons." He said another button had been issued bearing the same number as the one issued Hayes and he did not know the whereabouts of the other button. Capt.

Lester Martin of the St. Louis police department described the arrest of Hayes in St. Louis and the discovery of $4,035 inside the car. Martin said he asked, "Is this your money, Hayes?" He said Hayes answered "I never saw it before- I don't know how it got in there." Martin said Hayes told St. Louis police he rented his car to a man in Springfield knew as "Charlie." Hayes said he became acquainted with Charlie when they worked together in Decatur, Martin said.

On the morning of the holdup Hayes said he encountered Charlie in Springfield, according to Martin's. account. Charlie rented Hayes' car for $20 at about 9 a. m. He returned it at 11:30 a.

m. After spending the day with relatives in Springfield, Hayes said he returned to St. Louis where he was arrested by waiting police, Martin testified. Hayes' 2-year-old son was in the car at time of the arrest. At the opening of the trial yesterday afternoon, Assistant State's attorney Lloyd Latendresse said the state will not contend that Hayes committed the robbery.

Instead, said Latendresse, the prosecution alleges he was an accomplice of the bandit. Leonard Voss, 36-year-old ex-convict was acquitted last Dec. 3 of being the holdup man. SEEK STUDENT FUND DHS Council Asking $500 to Bring Exchange Pupil Here In an assembly program tomorrow morning, the Decatur High School student council will seek to raise funds for its share of the exchange student program next year. Student council members have been speaking in home rooms, urgaling studnt support of the project which will, they hope, see a girl from Switzerland, France or Spain attending Decatur High next year.

Robert Shade, member of a committee of interested townspeople who are cooperating with the Student council, is to be the guest speaker at the assembly program and a collection will be taken. The students hope to raise $500 as their share of the expense of bringing the student here and, next summer, of sending a Decatur High boy or girl to Europe. The committee of townspeople, headed by Mrs. E. L.

Simmons, will endeavor to provide a home for the visiting teen-ager and as well as the additional $600 needed to accomplish the exchange. outstanding projects from elementary, junior and senior high schools all over the country. -Mrs. Armstrong received the invitation to write from Samuel Everett of City College, New York, and C. O.

Arndt, New York University, co-chairmen of the committee working on the book. What astonishes the Decatur teacher is that they. found out about the project so fast. It was completed only last month, and usually word of such study units doesn't circulate to such far away cities until a National Education Association publication mentions them or there is a convention. With the Sick Mrs.

Wilma Hynds, 605 S. Broadway, is entering St. Mary's Hospital this afternoon where she will remain for a week. She may have visitors..