THE DAILY ALASKA EMPIRE
'ALL THE NEWS ALL THE TIME”
a** iWi
VOL. LXXV., NO. 11,570
JUNEAU, ALASKA, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 2, 1950
MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS
PRICE TEN CENTS
Bloody Counterblow Struck By U. S. Forces
WEATHER KEEPS
10TH RESCUE FROM
GRIM MISSION
Col. Bern! Balchen Aids
Operation for Crash
Plane Occupants
Weather—in particular, a bad
overcast in the rugged Fairweather
Range — again conspired today to
prevent take-off from Juneau of
U.S. Air Force aircraft to remove the
six occupants of the Air Force C-54
which crashed high on Mount Cril
lon Saturday.
It was late Monday afternoon be
fore a searching B-17 from Elmen
dorf AF Base spotted the airplane
wreckage at about the 9,000-foot
level on the southwest slope of the
12,727-foot peak.
Tenth Air Rescue Squadron
crews of the ski-equipped C-47 al
ready here and of the C-54 and
C-47 which came in Monday night
restlessly waited all day yesterday,
hoping to fly a trail crew, a para
troop doctor, medical and surgical
supplies to the crash scene, or to
get near enough for approach by
foot.
Famed Arctic Flyer Col. Bernt
Balchen brought another aircraft
in at 5:30 p.m. yesterday. He had
hoped to take the ski-plane on a
reconnaissance flight today, to de
termine the feasibility of landing a
trail crew on Brady Glacier. Among
the expert mountaineers to accom
pany the party is Maynard Miller,
field director of the Juneau Ice Re
search Project, who came in from
a Juneau Ice Cap base Sunday.
After checking the weather peri
odically since early morning, Colonel
Balchen said at press time (3 p.m.)
this afternoon, that there seemed
no chance of making a flight today.
Colonel Balchen, subject of
“Hitch Your Wagon,” a book pub
lished this year, has commanded
the 10th Air Rescue Squadron since
November, 1948. He recently was
named special assistant on all Arc
tic activities to the commanding
general, Alaskan Air Command.
While waiting for a weather
break, 10th Rescue pilots have been
busy in preparation for their grim
flight into the treacherous moun
tainous country of Mount Crillon.
Yesterday afternoon, they were
given special assistance by the U.S.
Forest Service in studying the ter
rain.
With plotters and stereoscopes,
they and the Forest Service experts
went carefully over aerial photo
graphs to get details of topography,
and the pilots left with several of
the photographs for their use.
Meantime, Maynard Miller and
others were assembling extra moun
taineering gear stored in the Forest
Service warehouse for the JIRP ex
pedition.
rue Washington
Merry - Go - Round
Bv DREW PEARSON
ICoprrlcht, IBM. dj Bell Bjnd.catc. Inc.)
rfASHINGTON — A new super
tank will soon be ready for Korean
action, that is the fastest, dead
liest, and best-armored in the
world.
Military leaders say it represents
as great an advance in ground
attack as the jet plane in the air.
They also predict it will be vastly
superior to the massive Russian
tanks being used by the North
Koreans.
This information was given to a
closed-door meeting of the House
armed services committee by Gen.j
J. Lawton Collins, Army Chief of ;
Staff.
General Collins testified that the
tank, already in production, will
outspeed and outmaneuver any en
emy tank if comes up against.
Furthermore, it will not only be
equipped with weapons capable of
"destroying any other tank,” in
cluding the Russian Goliath, Col
lins told the committee, but it will
have better armor to resist enemy
fire.
“In all departments, it is by far
the best tank ever produced,” Col
lins declared.
Somewhat smaller than the Rus
sian opposite number, it also is
less expensive to build, the chief
of staff added.
Chief defects of the Russian tank
(Continued on Page Four*
v
NAMES OF THOSE
KILLED IN CRASH
OF PLANE GIVEN
ANCHORAGE. Alaska, Aug. 2—
.f)—The names of five crewmen
and a military passenger aboard a
C-54 wrecked on Mt. Crillon, 90
miles west of Juneau, were an
nounced by Elmendorf Air Force
Base officers today.
A sixth crewman, Corp. Gabriel
Bakus, of the 54th Troop Carrier
Squadron, McChord Air Force Base,
Tacoma, Wash., missed the plane
Saturday because he was in a bus
which had an accident en route to
McChord from Tacoma. He was
the plane's radio operator.
Those aboard the wrecked plane:
Lieut. William Edward Reese, 23,
pilot, son of Ernest Woodsen Reese,
Thomson, Ga.
Capt. Eugene Trafton Sewall, 31.
co-pilot, husband of Mrs. E. T.
Sewall, 189 Graham St., Biddleford,
Me.
Corp. Robert. Eugene Weber, 20,
crew chief, son of Mrs. Charles E.
Griffin, Rte. 3, Faribault, Minn.
S-Sgt. Francis Vincent Toomey,
30, flight engineer, husband of Mrs.
Mary E. Toomey, Anchorage, Al
aska.
S-Sgt. Blaine Joseph Vanhille,
25, crew member, husband of Mrs.
Patricia Ann Vanhille, Anchorage.
Lieut. Robert Carol Reish, dge
unknown, son of Mrs. Hallie
Blanche Reish, 204 Park Drive,
Allegan, Mich. Lieutenant Reish
was a passenger. He was a mem
ber of the 375th Reconnaissance
Squadron, Eielson Air Force Base,
Alaska.
The crew members were all from
the 54th Troop Carrier Squadron
with their home base at Elmendorf.
British Back
U. S. on Korea,
U. N. Question
LAKE SUCCESS; Xtlg. 2 — UPI —
Biitrafh supported the United States
oday in demanding that the ques
tion of seating Red China be
pushed aside and that the Korean
conflict be given top priority in
United Nations deliberations.
Britain’s Sir Gladwyn Jebb called
the Korean question the "gravest
ind most important ever to con
front the United Nations.”
Jebb spoke as the 11-nation
Security Council resumed debate on
whether it should act first on
Russia's move to seat the Chinese
Communists or on the Korean
conflict.
The British delegate said he wel
comed Soviet Deputy Foreign Min
ister Jakob A. Malik back to the
council after his seven-month boy
cott. He expressed hope this meant
Russia was now ready to cooperate
with the other nations.
The council convened at 2:12
o.m. EST.
The specific issue was adoption
of an agenda. Russia's Jakob A.
Malik, as August President of the
council, wanted Korea considered
second, under the heading “peace
ful settlement of the Korean ques
tion,” after disposal of the Chinese
issue. Warren R. Austin, chief
U. S. delegate, insisted the agenda
be confined to a single item, "a
complaint of aggression upon the
Republic of Korea.” Malik refused
yes'erday to withdraw or revise
his own draft, but was willing to
nake the U. S. version an additional
item.
That was where the matter stood
when the council adjourned last
night, after defeating 8-3 Mali'Tf
attempt to unseat the Chinese Na
tionalist delegation by a presiden
tial ruling.
TWO BANDITS FLEEr
LEAVE LOOT WHEN
ESCAPE CAR BURNS
TIMMONS, ont., Aug. 2—tfP)—Two
hooded bandits were forced to
abandon three gold bricks worth
8100,000 and their getaway car to
day when it burst in flames. They
had stolen the gold from the office
of the Coniaurum Mines Ltd.
The fire-blackened car was found
about 25 miles from here hours after
the robbery. The bandits had trussed
up Bill Edwards, the mine watch
man, while they broke into the
safe.
ARMY ASKS
$45 MILLION
FOR ALASKA
WASHINGTON, Aug. 2—Itf—The
Army, Navy and Air Force have
! asked for $330,000,000 cash so they
| can start immediately on “top pri
j ority” projects, the House military
appropriations subcommittee dis
closed yesterday.
More than half of $95,473,000 re
i quested by the Army would be
i spent in Alaska.
Another $18,033,459 has been
asked for projects in Washington
| State.
| The largest of this latter group
j is $6,476,459 for housing and con
i struction of opera'fonal and tact
] ical buildings at Hanford atomic
i plant.
Other sums asked include:
Spokane Air Force Base, bar
, racks and other buildings, $4,570,
I COO.
Moses Lake Air Force Base, hos
| pital, barracks and general build
ings, $3,987,000.
Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska,
build up station for Army troops
i intended for defense of largest
i bomber base in Alaska, $8,741,000.
Ladd Air Force Base, Alaska, to
j build up station for troops to de
; fend most northern bomber and
| fighter base, $11,352,000.
Fort Richardson, Alaska, to build
; up station for troops to defend
Elmendorf Air Force Base, also
I the Army's Alaskan nerve center,
j $35,295,345.
SPECULATION IS
CHARGE NOW MADE
BY SECY. BRANNAN
WASHINGTON, Aug. 1—ijPi—S'ec
i retary of Agriculture Brannan to
1 day accused profit-bent speculators
! in farm and food products of try
’ ing to cash in even at the expense
of the nation's economy and war
effort.
Such trading on the nation's
futures market by a “considerable”
number of speculators, Brannan
i said, has contributed to recent
j sharp price advances. He called
j the speculation "excessive and un
i restrained" and said it is threaten
1 ing the country’s economic stability
) and the war effort.
| It is obvious, he said in a formal
j statement, that some means must
oe set up to stop, or at least curb,
.xcessive speculation if the futurfs
markets are to provide price in
surance to merchandisers and proc
essors.
SHORTAGE OF MEN,
LONGSHORE WORK,
DELAYING LOADING
SEATTLE, Aug. 2—(ItI—A shortage
of longshore gangs is slowing the
departure of private ships from
the Seattle waterfront, ship owners
said here.
The Alaska Steamship Company
said it was 13 gangs short last night
and expected a similar scarcity of
help today. There are 10 men to a
I gang.
Another company serving Alaska,
Coastwise Line, said it has iiad two
I freighter sailing delays of three to
, five days each since the emergency.
I Matson Navigation Company’s
| steamer Hawaiian Planter is two
i days behind in its loading schedule,
i Back of the delay, ship owners
said, are military ship loadings
which have a priority on all avail
able dock workers. Even there, how
ever, some delays have been re
ported.
Art Olsen, Secretary-Treasurer of
Local 19, International Longshore
men’s and Warehousemen’s Union
(CIO), said he expected the shortage
| to last another week. By then, he
i said, several hundred new men
| screened by the union will have been
! cleared by the military and given
' work passes.
“It’s chiefly a problem of setting
! up the machinery to supply well
! balanced gangs,” Olsen said. “This
: means that each gang of new men
must have sufficient experienced
men to make an efficient and safe
i unit.”
BROKER HERE
Ray Cavanaugh, Seattle broker,
is at the Gastineau Hotel.
Red Invaders
Take Kumchon
In Fiery War
By HAL BOYLE
IN A U.S. 5TH AIR FORCE
PLANE OVER KUMCHON, Korea,
Aug. 2 — (jf) — Leaping towers of
orange flame are burning out the
heart of ancient Kumchon tonight
as invading North Korean Reds
storm into one end of the city and
American troops pull out the other.
Capture of this vital rail and road
center puts the swarming North Ko
reans within 30 miles of Taegu,
vital highway and rail junction, and
only 90 air miles from the main
American supply port of Pusan.
It is now 8:18 p.m. (5:18 a.m.,
EST) and American engineers have
just blown up both spans of a rail
way bridge on the eastern side of
the Kachon river, a tributary of
the Naktong.
Kumchon itself lies on the west
ern side of the stream and it is
like having a bleacher seat in hell
to see it from a plane circling at
500 feet. The entire western water
front is burning—about 500 yards or
more of solid flame and billowing
black smoke.
The red and orange tongues lick
skyward at least 100 feet. In the
northeast quarter of the city an
other area erupts like a vast fur
nace door suddenly opened.
As the spans of the railway bridge
explode in a cloud of gray dust and
drop heavily into the water, an
American vehicle speeds out of the
murky pile of the city. It rolls swiftly
across an adjoining highway bridge
to safety.
Kumchon is only another of the
many cities that have fallen to the
Communists in the last few days
as the big Red fist has squeezed
tighter in a desperate grab for an
immediate victory.
Landing Gear
Sticks; Pilot
Lands 20 O.K.
_ j
MINNEAPOLIS, Aug. 2 — UP — A '
Northwest Airlines Martin 2-0-2
plane landed safely today after1
circling Minneapolis for an hour |
and forty-five minutes because of j
a defective landing gear.
The plane, carrying 20 passen
gers and a crew of three, came to
Minneapolis from Portland, Ore,
It was unable to land because the !
nose gear of the tricycle landing
gear would n<^t come down.
Northwest Airlines flight control
officials made plans for an emer- \
gency landing and several Min- j
neapolis fire department companies
stood by.
After several attempts to loosen
‘he nose wheel gear failed, pilot j
Cooney was instructed to sttift
passengers and cargo weight to the
rear to make the plane tail-heavy.
Cooney brought the plane in and
landed it on the two main wheels
and the tail which has a reinforc
ing skid on the bottom.
OVERALL SITUATION
IN KOREA REPORTED
AS "IMPROVING"
WASHINGTON, Aug. 1—tfi—De
fense spokesmen today described
the overall Korean situation as
“improving."
But briefing officers said the ;
situation is “still serious, and any- |
one would be foolish to indicate j
anything else.”
They said late military reports J
clearly indicate the Red Koreans j
are “throwing everything they j
have” in the drive for Pusan.
“They have so far failed in this |
effort," air Army spokesman said, j
"because they have not succeeded i
in preventing the arrival of fresh
U. S. troops and equipment."
The United States ranks far
ahead of any other nation in pro-1
duction of the four major sources j
of power, coal, natural gas, oil, and
hydroelectric power.
LAWMAKERS
DEAL WITH
EMERGENCY
Congress Works on Ra
tioning Control, Anti
hoarding Measures
WASHINGTON, Aug. 2—Wl—'The
Senate banking committee today
approved, 12 to 1, the general policy
of granting President Truman
standby power to put on wage,
price and rationing controls.
Chairman May bank (D-SCi told
reporters the committee had taken
no action yet on any specific bill.
“We jus* approved the general
principle," Maybank said.
The vote means, however, that
standby wage-price controls will be
in the bill finally approved by
the committee unless there is a
compete reversal of sentiment.
The group is hammering together '
a bill and has voted for prison i
sentences and up to $10,000 fines
for hoarders and black marketeers.
In the House, administration men j
offered a new bill wrapping up the
powers President Truman has asked i
plus standby wage and price con
trol authority.
Then they discovered that six;
lines had been omitted in the
printed version.
Voting Delayed
Republican leaders and some
Democrats demanded that all vot- j
ing be put off until tomorrow. It
was agreed then to take votes to
morrow on amendments to the bill
but delay a final vote on the fin
ished version until Friday.
Democratic leaders put before the j
House a substitute for the admfh- |
istration’s original allocations and
credit control measure. The new
bill would give Mr. Truman power
to slap ceilings on wages and roll!
prices back to the levels of the i
May 24-June 24 period.
The new bill also would allow,
the President to order rationing. ,
Republicans, rallying behind a!
bill of their own, protested the j
last-minute introduction of a new :
administration measure. The GOP ;
bill also would provide for standby '
wage and price controls.
Other Emergency Action
In other actions today:
1. President Truman sent tile I
Senate financing committee a letter
asking it to hurry up consideration !
of a bill to increase • taxes by j
$5,000,000,000.
2. Secretary of State Acheson,
at a news conference, opposed the I
“rider” which the Senate put on1
an appropriation bill yesterday.
Authorizing a $100,000,000 Export
Import Bank loan to Franco Spain.
WEATHER REPORT
In Juneau—Maximum, 52;
minimum, 47.
At Airport—Maximum, 53;
minimum, 46.
FORECA8T
(Juneau and Vicinity)
Variable cloudiness tonight
and Thursday. Lowest tem
perature tonight about 50.
Warmer Thursday with high
est temperature near 62 de
grees.
PRECIPITATION
(Past 24 hours ending 7:30 a m. today
City of Juneau—0.67 inches;
since August 1—1.83 inches;
since July 1—10.76 inches.
At Airport — 0.52 inches;
since August 1—0.62 inches;
since July 1—7.66 inches.
STOCK QUOTATIONS
NEW YORK, Aug. 2 — Closing of
Alaska Juneau mine stock today is
2M>, American Can 94"t. Anaconda
32%, Curtiss-Wright 10%, Interna
tional Harvester 28%, Kennecott
60%, New York Central 14%, North
ern Pacific 18%, U.S. Steel 36%,
Pound $2.80%.
Sales today were 1.980.000 shares. |
Averages today are as follows: in
dustrials 211.26, rails 63.76, utilities
38.09.
OKLAHOMAN VISITS HERE
Miss Tressa Brown of Oklahoma
City is a guest at the Baranof
Hotel,
Where Reds Gain
Solid arrows locate Communist drives in the active sectors of the
battle front (broken line) in South Korea. American and South
Korean defenders (open arrows) sought to brace their lines, but In
the south the Reds captured Chinju, 55 air miles from Pusan. In
the center the pressure was on Kumchon after the Reds took Kochang
and drove north to Chirye. Farther north the Communists have
been held in check between Kumchon and Hamchang. (ff) W lire photo
Map).
Fighting Leathernecks
Landed on Korean Front;
Make It Tough for Enemy
UPSETS IN
PRIMARIES,
TWO STATES
(By Associated Press)
State Senator Emery W. Allison,
supported by President Truman,
still trailed by about 10.000 votes
today for the Missouri Democratic
Senate nomination, but he gained
a little as outstate returns came in.
He had been behind by over 11,
000 votes as the counting in yes
terday’s primary stopped for the
night.
In 4.281 to 4,676 precincts, Alli
son had 165,955 to 174,555 for for
mer U. S. Rep. Thomas C. Han
nings, Jr., of St. Louis.
More than 90 per cent of the
vote had been counted, but the
result was still indecisive.
Republican Sena’or Forrest C.
Donnell easily won renomination.
All incumbent representatives ap
peared to have won too.
In the neighboring state of Kan
sas, Republicans nominated Gov.
Frank Carlson for U. S. senator
and Edward F. Am, former state
attorney general, for governor.
This was a setback for Alf M.
Landon, 1936 GOP presidential
nominee, who sought to regain con
trol of the state party organiza
tion by backing Willard Maybeery
editor-rancher and his former sec
retary for governor. Am was
backed by Carlson and Senator
Harry Darby, who is retiring from
the Senate.
Carlson defeated Harry W. Col
mery, former national commander
of the American Legion, for the
Senate candidacy. Colmery also
was backed by the Landon forces.
In West Virginia, Rush D. Holt,
former Democratic senator turned
Republican, won handily the nom
ination for 'the House in the Third
District.
CORDOVAN HERE
Mrs. Carrie Vinquist of Cordova
is at the Gastineau Hotel.
Buckwheat is raised commercially
in 15 U S. states.
By TOM LAMBERT and
• DON WHITEHEAD
A SOUTH KOREAN PORT, Aug.
!—iff)—U.S. Marines arrived in force
.onight at this South Korean port,
rhey called for beer, asked about
shore liberty and promised to make
things tough for the enemy.
“We will give them the best we
jot—and that’s a lot,” said a Ma
rine Sergeant.
A veteran of World War II and
i typical leatherneck, he calmly
scanned the low hills as the big
transport edged into a dock. It
Brought the first contingent of Ma
rines from the United States to a
Beachhead shrinking under the
armored blows of the North ' Ko
reans.
“We figure this will be tougher
than anything we have had before,”
the Sergeant said.
The brass band on the dock played
two stirring leatherneck airs, "From
the Halls of Montezuma” and
‘Semper Fidelis.”
The Marines came loaded for
heavy combat.
They will go into battle behind
hurling Pershing M-26 tanks,
weighing 45 tons and mounting a
90 mm. gun. There’s been nothing
like that on the American side so
far. Russian-made T-34’s consisten
tly have outgunned the American
medium tanks.
Flame throwers and the new
tank-killer super-bazookas also were
in the Marine equipment.
“We feel fine and hot to go,” said
Staff Sgt. Claude Bricker of Kan
sas City.
"No pain, no strain. We just want
to get this over,” said Staff Sgt.
Leonard Libby of Granite City. 111.
They came from the Carolina
hills, the streets of New York and
the plains of the midwest. They
were a cross-section of America.
They had been 20 days crossing
the Pacific and had been expected
;wo days earlier.
An advance party of leatherneck
idministrative personnel was flown
lere from the United States several
lays ago to prepare for the arrival
3f the fighting forces.
The fighting Marines landed some
10 miles from the battlefront in
ioutheastern Korea.
FROM DILLINGHAM
Elizabeth Reiley of Dillingham is
it the Baranof Hotel.
HEIGHTS OF
CHINJU NOW
RECAPTURED
Base of Pusan Threatened
by North Koreans-Sher
man Tanks Dig In
(By the Associated Press)
U.S. 24th Division troops and
Sherman tanks recaptured heights
east of Chinju today in a bloody
counterblow at the North Korean
spearhead thrusting dangerously
close to the south coast base of Pu
san.
But the U.S. First Cavalry gave
up burning Kumchon at the north
west comer of a shrinking Allied
perimeter and other American and
South Koreans abandoned four
other anchor towns on the northern
front.
Gen. Douglas MacArthur reported
that the enemy had launched his
"last desperate all-out effort” to
drive the Americans out of Korea
as the U.S. First Marine Division
began disembarking at a port a
little over 40 miles from the Chinju
battlefield.
Sherman tanks, dug in, met So
viet-made tanks in the battle north
east of Chinju. For a time the
American counterattackers were
threatened with encirclement when
the Reds surged around their
flanks. There were many American
casualties and some tank losses.
Height* Regained
But the 24th Division troops, vet
erans of the first fighting In Ko
rea, regained heights at Sangmun,
10 mUa* *a*t-oi Ohinju, and reached
positions at Wonbung, five miles
southwest of Chungam, a front line
dispatch reported.
This was ground lost Tuesday
when the Communist thrust 15
miles east of Chinju toward Pusan.
The Red radio at Peiping said
Chinese Communists had offered
military and naval aid to North Ko
rea but the offer had been rejected
as not needed now. This appeared
to be a propaganda gesture to
counter Oen. MacArthur’s refusal
of Chinese Nationalist troops from
threatened Formosa.
The U.S. government Is consider
ing reversing its past policy of re
fusing military aid to Generalissimo
Chiang Kai-shek.
National Guard Called
Washington identified the four
National Ouard divisions that have
been called Into national service.
They are the 28th from Pennsyl
vania, the 40th from California, the
43rd from Connecticut. Vermont
and Rhode Island, and the 45th
from Oklahoma, as well as the 196th
Combat Team from South Dakota
and the 278th from Tennessee. •
The Marines, bringing flame
throwers, bigger tank , killing ba
zookas and M-26 tanks of 45 tons,
heavier than any yet used in Korea,
were met by a brass band, playing
“From the Halls of Montezuma.”
Teenage newcomers and grizzled
veterans of the outfit declared
themselves "feeling fit and hot to
go.”
The fall of Kumchon, about 90
miles to the northwest of the port
of debarkation, had been forecast
when dispatches reported the rail
and highway town was under artil
lery fire, and that First Cavalry
troops were holding an arc-shaped
front around it.
Along the twisting northern front
25th Division and South Korean
troops gave up Hamchang. Sangju,
Yechon and Andong and withdrew
behind the Naktong river on part
of the front. The North Koreans
long had been stalemated on this
front.
(Continued on Page Six)
STEAMER MOVEMENTS
Chilcotin from Vancouver sched
uled to arrive late Thursday after
noon.
Alaska scheduled to sail from
Seattle tomorrow.
Princess Louise scheduled to sail
from Vancouver tonight.
Baranof scheduled to sail from
Seattle Saturday.
Princess Kathleen scheduled to
sail from Vancouver Saturday.
Aleutian from westward scheduled
7 p.m. Sunday.
Princess Norah scheduled to ar
rive at 8 a.m. Friday sailing south
one hour later at 9 a m.