The Shamrock Texan (Shamrock, Tex.), Vol. 35, No. 208, Ed. 1 Tuesday, January 24, 1939 Page: 1 of 4
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..
HOARSE SONG OF
. PLANE SURVIVORS
GUIDES RESCUERS'
Qh&SiHAMROCK
10 BROUGHT TO PORT BY OIL I
• TANKER; 2 PASSENGERS,
Ail
fit
> :
i a
»>
* i
STEWARD LOST
NEW YORK, Jan. 24,-The ten
survivors of the sunken Imperial
irways flying boat Cavalier—who
'lied hoarse voices in a desperate,
tuneless song to guide the lifeboat
which picked them out of the At-
lantic-arrived last night and three
of their number emerged as heroes
^ the disaster.
They returned on the tanker Esso
Baytown, which rescued them early
Sunday, and said drowning itself
seemed no greater than a school of
sharks attracted by bodies of the
jgjree men who perished.
Saw Ship Pass By
As the Esso Baytown pulled into
sight, the five men and five women
had been floating for some 10 hours
in the Gulf Stream, about midway
.between New York and Bermuda at
{he point where the great plane was
dashed to the sea Saturday. They
saw one ship go by and could not
endure to see yet another fade from
view.
#So Patrick Chapman, the Cava-
lier’s radio officer, left the doubtful
refuge of the lifebelts which the 10
had joined together—“like a daisy
chain"—one man said—and struck
out to swim the 200 yards to the
•nkcr.
Behind him threshed Neil Rich-
ardson. the plane's first officer, to
frighten away sharks and give his
brother officer at least an even
chance to reach the tanker. Chap-
man reached it.
"Of course.” said Edna Watson of
Montreal and Bermuda, "we had
three dead people in the area (Don-
ald W. Miller, president of a Lin- i
coin. Neb., department store: J Gor- j
Noakc- of New York and Rob-
ert Spence, one of the Cavalier's two
stewards!.
"They put the wind up," she said, |
meaning their presence would serve j
as a lure for sharks.
# One of Heroes
Mrs. Watson herself was a mem-!
ber of the trio who showed excep- j
tlonal bravery. It was she. other i
survivors said, who for hours clung j
to the injured and unconscious cap-
ffin of the Cavalier. M. R. Alder-
son. to keep him afloat—after he
had given her his life-belt
Alderson, slight and boyish in ap-
pearance. declined to speculate as
to the cause of the crash, but he
*d say “there were no icing condl-
(Contlnued on Page 3>
NEA
NEWS
PICTURES
City
Edition
Sweeping Economy Plan
Handed Legislature In
Message From O’Daniel
VOL. 35
SHAMROCK, WHEELER COUNTY, TEXAS, TUESDAY, JANUARY 24, 1!>39
NO. 208
Mexican Minister
Speeds to Hitler
CONTROL ROOM OF ILL-FATED BRITISH PLANE
A view of the flying ship Cavalier’s control room from the inside during a flight over the same course
where it met disaster. Left to right. Radio Engineer Patrick Chapman, former Commander Neville Cum-
ming and Lieut. Neil Richardson. Chapman and Richardson were among the 10 survivors oi the wreck-
ed plane. Chapman heroically swam 200 yards to the tanker Esso Baytown, which picked up the survivors.
15 Highway Patrolmen
To Be Here For Saint
Patrick Celebration
SCOUTMASTERS IN
DISTRICT MEETING
PLANS FOR ORGANIZATION TO
4 BE WORKED OUT HERE
WEDNESDAY NIGHT
Scoutmaster and troop committee-
men of Boy Scout troops in Wheel-
er and Collingsworth counties will
♦ieet in Shamrock Wednesday eve-
ning to form a district organization.
The meeting will be held at the U-
Drop Inn at 6:30 p. m.
Troops in this district are located
at Wellington. McLean. Wheeler,
•iellervillc, Allison, Kelton and
Shamrock Scoutmasters, assistant
scoutmasters and sponsors ol the
troops are urged to attend this
meeting as a district organization
will do much toward creating a
%irger interest In Scouting in this
section.
Officers will be elected and the
^entire evening will be devoted to
forming the district organization.
_ All local scout committeemen and
Scoutmasters are urged to be present
for the affair.
TAYLOlt RESIDENCE
DESTROYED HY FIRE
RITES AT MOBEETIE
FOR LOCAL WOMAN
MRS. W. F. RATCHFORD, LONG
TIME COUNTY RESIDENT.
SUCCUMBS MONDAY
Fire of undetermined drirtin Sat-
urday night completely destroyed
the home of H. J. Taylor, located
on West Seventh street. The blaze
was discovered by a neighbor and
#he alarm turned in shortly after 11
o’clock, but by the time the Are de-
partment arrived and hose lines
were strung, the house was falling
in and the garage was ablaze.
Whipped by brisk wind from the
Northeast, the flames literally de-
voured the house, its contents and
the garage. The loss was partially
covered by insurance. No oner was at
home when the fire started.
Infant relative of
LOCAL PEOPLE DIES
After an illness of several months,
Mrs. W. F. Rat'chford, long time res-
ident of Wheeler county, passed
away early Monday morning at her
home in Shamrock.
Mrs. Ratchford. bom December 25,
1871, in El Paso. Ark., had made her
home in Wheeler county for 16
years. The family lived for a num-
ber of years near Mobeetie and at
one time in Lela where Mr. Ratch-
ford had a store.
She was the mother of Mrs. Her-
bert Lenear of this city, and Mrs.
Emmett Collins and Mrs. J. D.
Futch of Mobeetie.
Funeral services were held at the
Mobeetie Baptist church this after-
noon at two o'clock and burial was
in the Mobeetie cemetery with Nix
Funeral home in charge.
Surviving are her husband, six
daughters and two sons. Her daugh-
ters are Mrs. Collins and Mrs. Futch
of Mobeetie, Mrs. Lenear of Sham-
rock, Mrs, Stanley Moore of Okla-
homa City, Mrs. Herman Harris of
Tishomingo, Okla., and Mrs. Myri
Nix of Lela. Her sons are Arthur
Ratchford of Big Spring and Otis
Ratchford of Lela.
HOPKINS l!i GIVEN ‘
FULL CONFIRMATION
SENATE VOTES 58-27 AFTER A
PROLONGED ONSLAUGHT
ON HIS RECORD
J. L. Pingenot. highway patrolman
and chairman of the traffic division
of the St. Patrick’s celebration, said
today that 15 highway patrolmen
would be in Shamrock March 17 to
assist in handling the heavy traffic
and to take part in the parade
which will be one of the feature at-
tractions of the entertainment.
Motorcycle patrolmen from over
thTs area will be sent by the high-
way department to Shamrock for
the festival.
Invitations have been issued to 25
FRANCO'S FORCES
WITHIN ARTILLERY
RANGE BARCELONA
FALL OF LOYAL CAPITAL IS
IMMINENT AS INSURGENT
OFFENSIVE NEARS
HENDAYE, France. Jan. 24. —
Generalissimo FrancLsco Franco
last night thrust his month-old
Catalonian offensive to within 12
miles—heavy artillery range—of
Barcelona. Spanish government
capital.
The advance guard of this column,
pressing toward the metropolis along
the Mediterranean shore to Barcel-
ona’s southwest, messaged "a down-
hill road and little resistance" lay
bands in Panhandle cities to attend i ahead'
the celebration. Glenn TruaxJ The gravity of Francos threat to
chairman of the music committee,
stated. More than 30 bands will be |
invited to take part in the festivities
on March 17, any town within a
100-mile radius of Shamrock is be-
ing asked to send its band group.
Marching exhibitions and con-
certs will be given during the day
by each band. The famous Hardin-
Barcelona was reflected by drastic
defense measures but government
j supporters contended the insurgents
were far from winning the civil war
despite the capital’s peril.
The government ordered Barcel-
ona's civilian population to leave—
except men and women engaged in
war industries or physically fit for
O’DANIEE CHOICE
FOR LABOR POST
HIGHLY RESENTED
APPOINTMENTS BY GOVERNOR
FILL TWO IMPORTANT
STATE OFFICES
AUSTIN. Jan. 24.—A storm blew
up Monday in the wake of ap-
pointment of a new state labor
commissioner by Gov. W. Lee
O’Daniel.
The designation of Joe Kuns-
cliik of Austin, employe of the
Southwestern Bell Telephone Com-
pany, to head the labor depart-
ment was one of two important
appointments announced.
The other was that of Carr P. Col-
lins of Dallas, insurance company
executive and friend of the governor,
to the chairmanship of the highway
commission.
Legislative representatives of or-
ganized labor in Austin voiced sur-
prise and indicated strong disap-
proval of Kunschik's appointment.
Trades councils In San Antonio,
Houston and Port Arthur, affiliated
with the American Federation of
Labor, also expressed disfavor.
Based on Union
The objections were based on the
alleged membership of Kunschik in
a "company union" of the telephone
company.
H. W. Acreman, secretary of the
Texas State Federation of Labor, in
a statement endorsed by representa-
tives of the Railroad Brotherhoods
expressed .su173ri.se, saying the rep-
resentatives would have appreciated
it had the governor discussed with
them “the mayhap objectionable
applicants.”
"It was at labor's insistent behest,”
he said, “that this department was
created, in the interest of all labor;
and all remedial and protective leg-
(Contmued on
Page 2)
PLANS SHAPING UP
FOR BIRTHDAY BALL
Simmons Cowboy band from Abilene work on a vast sv*tem of innermost
fortifications.
United States and British author-
ities arranged to remove nationals.
A British cruiser and a destroyer
were cruising off Barcelona and the
American cruiser Omaha was order-
! ed from Ville-France, on the French
has been invited to attend as well as
the Aitus, Okla., college band,
Chamber of commerce secretaries
have also been asked to appoint a
young lady to represent their city
in the "Colleen” contest. Judges will
«»’ &£ |- >»» “ «■ *-
Day festival. Last year. Miss Marion
Mrs. G. F. Geyer of Amarillo, and
her sons, Glenn La Due and Gerald
apeyev of this city, were called to
Bamsdall, Okla., Monday on re-
ceiving word of the death of Mrs.
Geyer’s granddaughter, Georgia Ann
Kimbrough, six months old daugh-
ter of Mr. and Mrs. Hugh Kim-
fcbrough.
Funeral services were held today.
Both Mr. and Mrs. Kimbrough have
visited In Shamrock on numerous
occasions and are well known here.
The child had been 111 for the past
0 tew weeks of pheutaonla.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 24. — Harry
L. Hopkins Was confirmed as secre-
tary of commerce by the senate
Monday after a tihree-day attack on
his administration of work relief.
The vote was 58 to 27.
Shortly before the vote, two ad-
ministration supporters, Senators
Barkley, Democrat, Kentucky, and
Schwellenbach, Democrat, Washing-
ton, arose to declare President
Roosevelt, not Hopkins, was “the
target” of the criticism aimed at
Hopkins.
Most of the previous discussion
had been dominated by Republican,
and •some Democratic, critics of
Hopkins. They assailed him prin-
cipally on the ground political ac-
tivity was rife In WPA under his
administration.
The final vote showed a margin
of more than two to one in Hopkins’
favor. The Republican membership,
voting almost solidly against con-
(Contlnued on Last Page)
Smith of Magic City was elected as
queen.
Reports of the various committee
chairmen give a favorable and en-
thusiastic note on the part of local
Citizens to cooperate in making this
year’s celebration better than last
year’s affair.
LIGHT SLEET FALL
ADDS TO MOISTURE
A light fall of sleet Sunday night
added .13 of an Inch of moisture to
the record precipitation for January
according to measurement of the
rain gauge at the Traders Compress.
Street and highway traffic was haz-
ardous Monday morning, but bright
sunshine thawed the sleet by noon.
The sleet brought moisture since
the first of the year in this area to
2.40 inches, setting a record for the
month for several years past. Farm-
ers state the moisture has afforded
crop lands the best winter season in
many years.
COUNTY SCHOOL HEADS
WILL MEET_THURSDAY
A meeting of the Superintendents j
and Principals Organization o f
Wheeler county will be held in
Wheeler Thursday night to make
definite plans for the Wheeler coun- j
ty interscholastic league meet and
also to discuss the program for the
teacher-trustee banquet to be held
soon.
All superintendents and principals
of county schools are urged to be
present as the meeting is important.
W. C. Perkins of Shamrock is presi-
dent of the group and Anthony
Hunt, KeflerViHs, secretary.
ericans,
The Spanish government imposed
a “full state of war”—complete mar-
tial law—on both parts of govern-
ment Spain, the Catalonian and
southern segments, transferring all
civil authority to the military.
(At Madrid, Gen. Jose Miaja. mil-
itary commander of the southern
part of government territory. Said
"Barriers raised against the invad-
ers, are ^impregnable in our zone ”)
'She Barcelona cabinet declared It
would f«mnin ip Barcelona although
It was repotted at tpe French bor-
der that ministerial archives and
provincial courts already had been
(Continued on Last Page/
JOHNNY CARMAN’S ORCHESTRA
TO PLAY FOR BENEFIT
DANCE JANUARY 30
To the music of Johnny Carman
and his eight-piece band. Shamrock
residents will celebrate the Presi-
dent’s birthday, Monday night Jan-
uary 30, dancing at the Lewis Mo-
tor company building.
Admission price is one dollar for
each couple, and proceeds will be
used to aid in the national fight
against infantile paralysis. Half of
the proceeds will be kept in Sham-
rock to assist any local child suf-
fering from the dread disease, the
remainder will be sent to the Warm
Springs Foundation fund.
Local sponsors of the President’s
dance have secured the Carman
band of Elk City, 6kla., one Of the
most popular dance orchestras In
this area. Vete Johnson, trick violin-
ist and dancer, will be featured in
several special numbers.
Dancing will start at 9 o'clock and
continue until early hours of the
morning.
Everyone In this area is Cordially
Invited to attend the President’s
daticie and enjoy the evening. Tick-
ets may be purchased by those who
do not care td dance but who wish
to contribute to the Warm Springs
Fund. Bob Roach is chairman of the
dance arrangements, w. h. walker
Is general chairman and Flake
George, secretary-treasurer.
General Juan F. Azcarate, new
Mexican minister to Germany,
made a futile air dash from
Mexico to New York to catch a
Hamburg-bound boat. Denying
that his haste was connected
with reported carter deals for
expropriated U. S. and British
oil. he sailed on a later ship.
ATLANTIC STORM
DISABLES SHIPS
WITH 500 ABOARD
RESCUERS FIGHT TO REACH
14 VESSELS BATTERED
BY WIND AND WAVE
LONDON, Jan. 24. — Fourteen
ships, disabled by storms and car-
rying nearly 500 persons, were
drifting last night In the turbu-
lent Atlantic while rescuers strug-
gled to reach them. Loss of 12
lives at sea and along the English
coast was attributed to the
storms.
When darkness fell the crippled
ships were struggling before giant
waves, some of which were as high
as 50 feet. The gales reached 90
miles an hour.
Nine vessels were cargo boats, one
of them, the British Daleby, report-
ed she was fighting fire and water
in her holds in mid-Atlantic.
The two non-cargo vessels were
the Chilean motor vessel Aconcagua,
of 7.230 tons, with an estimated crew
of 200 and an unknown number of
passengers, and the former British
mine layer Medea.
Two Out of Danger
A British tug went to the aid of
the Aconcagua, helpless since Sun-
day because of a damaged steering
gear, about 200 miles west of Ire-
land.
The British freighter Bramhill, a
1.821-ton vessel with a crew of 20,
AUSTIN, Jan. 24. — W. Lee
O'Daniel. who completes his first
week in the governor's chair today,
handed the legislature Monday hLs
second message, one designed to
promote economy and efficiency.
He urged the lawmakers to act
quickly to make the state auditor
subject to appointment by the leg-
islature instead of the governor,
nnd to provide for a budget director,
who would be named by the gover-
nor. The state now has no budget
director, and the budget is prepared
by the board of control.
"These two fundamental pieces of
legislation," O’Daniel said, “repre-
sent the bedrock on which we must
build a reorganization of the meth-
od of handling state finance. I shall
submit later my suggestions con-
cerning what I think should be done
to bring about elimination ol many
useless state special funds and con-
solidation of these funds.”
No Uproar
ODaniel's message did not cause
anything like the uproar which re-
sulted from his recommendation last
week that the state levy a general
transactions tax. The senate voted
overwhelmingly two years ago for
legislative appointment of the aud-
itor and the house possibly would
have concurred but for the opposi-
tion of former Gov. James V. All-
red.
The house witnessed formal in-
troduction of 233 bills and 13 pro-
posed constitutional amendments,
probably the largest number of pro-
posals ever hitting the legislative
hopper at one time in Texas history.
Fortunately for the members, the
clerks are required to read only parts
of the caption of each bill, not the
bill itself. Most of the proposals had
been filed earlier with the chief clerk
but they could not be introduced un-
til committees were named.
(Continued on Page 2)
HARVESTERS TAKE
INVITATION CAGE
TOURNAMENT ERE
MOBEETIE SEXTET DEFEATS
WHEELER TO ANNEX
GIRLS' TROPHY
(Continued on Last Page)
MADAME PERKINS IS
PUT ON THE ‘SPOT’
NEW JERSEY CONGRESSMAN TO
INSTITUTE MOVE FOR
IMPEACHMENT
Water Conservation Body
Asks Prompt Creation Of
Great Plains Authority
Meeting in Amarillo Monday,
directors and executive committee
members of the Panhandle Water
Conservation Authority adopted a
resolution urging Congressman
Marvin Jones and other South-
western representatives to press
for the creation of a Great Plains
Authority for the construction,
maintenance and operation of
dams for recreational, flood con-
trol, water and soli conservation
purposes.
The resolution simply reiterated
the position taken by the organi-
zation from the beginning and
passed1 on two occasions when sev-
eral hundred representatives of
the flve-state High Plains diiSt
bowl region were in attendance.
Some 30 directors and committee-
men were present at the meeting.
Wheeler county was represented
by W. O. Puett of Shamrock, vice-
president of the organization;
Bedford Harrison, secretary of the
Shamrock Chamber of Commerce;
County Agent Jake Tarter of Wheel-
er; O. W. Elliott. Mobeetie, and A.
I. Baird, Kelton.
The group also went on record
with a resolution addressed to Oon-
(Continued on Page 3)
WASHINGTON. Jan. 24.—Repre-
sentative Thomas, Republican. New
Jersey, said Monday he would in-
troduce today a resolution to im-
peach Secretary Perkins.
Thomas' announcement came a
few minutes after Chairman Norton,
Democrat, New Jersey', read to the
house a letter from Miss Perkllis ex -
plaining the labor department’s de-
cision to suspend deportation pro-
ceedings against Harry Bridges, C.
I. O. west coast maritime leader,
Asked for his comment on the
secretary’s letter, Thomas said:
"My answer will come tomorrow.”
When reporters inquired if that
meant be would Introduce then the
impeachment resolution which he
had been preparing for weeks,
Thomas replied:
"Absolutely; that will be my an-
swer.”
Miss Perkins, In her letter, ac-
cused the Dies committee on un-
American activities, of which Thom-
as is a member, of making a
charge against Bridges without sup-
porting evidence.
The Dies Committee, contending
Bridges was an undesirable alien
and a communist advocating over-
throw of the United States govern-
ment, criticized the labor depart-
| ment for Its handling of deportation
1 proceedings against Bridges.
Shamrock's second annual basket-
ball tournament drew to a most suc-
cessful close Saturday night as
Coach Odus Mitchell’s Fampa Har-
vesters defeated the Hollis, Okla.,
Tigers in a torrid battle for the
championship in the boys’ division.
Coach M. D. Blankinship’s Mobee-
tie gills’ easily outclassed the Wheel-
er sextet to grab the girls’ cham-
pionship by a score of 39 to 13.
In the boys’ consolation game, the
Irish lads took a thrilling, spectac-
ular. last minute 32 to 30 victory
from the McLean quintet. The
Irishmen trailed throughout the
game until the final seconds of the
contest and at times were as many
as 6 points behind. Sutterfleld, Irish
guard, tied the score with a beautiful
shot from near the center of the
court, then Buiee. Trish captain and
centSI, Chalked up the two points
which spelled victory.
Coach Abie Dameron’s Canadian
girls played their best basketball in
several days to defeat the Irish
lassies by a 20 to 12 count tn the
final match in the girls’ consolation
bracket, The Canadian lassies have
one of the best forwards in this sec-
tion of the country in Owens.
The Lakeview Eagles and the
Turkey Turks loosers In the semi-
finals of the championship bracket,
(Continued on Last Page)
PAYNEToMufr
AVIATION COURSE
‘GROUND SCHOOL’ WILL HOlB^
FIRST MEET TONIGHT
AT 8 O’CLOCK
John Payne, local flying instructor
announced today that the first meet-
ing of ground school class Would be
held tonight at the U-Drop Inn at
8 o’clock. All students and people In*
terested In taking Instruction from
Payne are urged to be present.
Organization of a chapter of the
Aeronautical Association of Texas
will be completed. Through such an
organization, local aeronautical en-
thusiasts may have an opportunity
to study the basic principles of fly-
ing.
The course Is offered free of
charge to anyone who cares to Join
the class. Dave Bletner, TWA man
of Amarillo, will conduct the classes.
Bletner is an authority on aeronaut-
ics and such a course is Imperative
for the flying students.
Classes win be held each Tuesday
night, Payne said.
m
HP
,
■
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Bones, Percy. The Shamrock Texan (Shamrock, Tex.), Vol. 35, No. 208, Ed. 1 Tuesday, January 24, 1939, newspaper, January 24, 1939; Shamrock, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth528529/m1/1/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Shamrock Public Library.