^Served”By Leased Wire Ot The Total Nei Paid
ASSOCIATED press star-news circulation
Witt Satfoay Last'Year! IS
State and National News J Increase *. 4,475
__ ESTABLISHED 1867.
AS 14 PERISHED IN FLAMING AIRLINER
Flames consumed a Northwest Airlines plane, crashed near Moorhead, Minn., and
burned to death 14 persons trapped in th e wreckage. The pilot, thrown' clear as the
liner struck the earth, was the sole survivor. The plane, flying through fog and mist,
was bound from Chicago to Seattle.—Cent ral Press Phonephoto.
* * * * *** 4
Air Firm
Reopened
By Army
Production Is Immediately
Resumed In Struck
Bendix Plant
COAL TALKS SET
i
BENDIX, N. J„ Oct. 31.—
(A1) ■— The bayonet-encircled
plant of Air Associates, Inc.,
hummed tonight with defense
production under stern guard
of 2,100 soldiers who poured
into the strike-torn area dur
ing the early morning.
“The machines are turning in
the shop and shipments already
have been made of critical ma
terial,” Col. Roy M. Jones, Army
Air corps officer in charge of fed
eral operation of the aircraft fac
tory, announced.
Almost 600 of the plant's nor
mal complement of 750 have been
(Continued on Page Two; Col. 4)
CAB OPENS QUIZ
OF AIR TRAGEDY
Scant Facts Hamper Probe
Of Crash Which Took
20 More Lives
ST. THOMAS, Ont., Oct, 31.—Wi
-Three inspectors of the U. S.
Civil Aeronautics board took over
tonight the investigation into the
unexplained crash of an American
Airlines transport plane which
plunged 17 passengers and three
crew members to death in an oat
field Thursday night.
As a meager beginning from
which to work, the investigators
had a last radio report from the
plane, only a few minutes before
it crashed, and the sin' ments of
a farmer and his wife who saw
the big 21 - passenger Douglas
smash and burst into flames _200
yards from their home.
Latest report from Pilot David
I. Cooper, 34. of Plandome, N. Y.,
said everything was normal at 9
p.m. when the plane was at 4.000
feet over Jarvis, Ont.. on the Buf
falo-Detroit leg of the airline’s reg
ular New York to Chicago service.
(Continued on Page Two; Col. 8)
11 MISSING
FLIERS SAFE
Signal Fire On Rugged
Sierra Peek Guides
Rescue Party
FRESNO, Calif., Oct. 31.—W—
Two young Army aviators who
parachuted f r om their storm
h'apped planes into the mountain
wilderness of . the High Sierra,
there to survive a week of storms
and exposure, were rushed to an
Army hospital tonight.
Ground crew me n rescued
Lieut. Jack C. West and Leonard
G Lydon from the side of 10,400
foot Barton peak during the after
noon. The party was met in Kings
Canyon National park by Supt. E.
Ti Scoyen, who later told news
men:
"I shook hands with the two
boys. One of them looked pretty
bin and tired. The other seemed
to be in good shape.”
Their safety was established yes
(Continued on Page Three; Col. 1)
Chief Executive Leaves
For Hyde Park Weekend
Washington, oct. 31.—m—
iesidfnt Roosevelt departed by
,, nla] train today for his home
;^de Park. N. Y„ where W. L.
w„c,zie KinS, Canadian prime
ster, will be a weekend guest.
e ™° are old friends and the
s,/„ minister’s secretary has
visit * would be only a personal
toh0*? Princess Juliana of The
also er. ?^s an(t her two children.
Hy^e p1^1 ^he weekend guests at
City Protests First Ship
Honoring S. C. Hero
r° est against naming of the
Wist of Q7
dej. 61 cargo-vessels, now un
to ljC0nst'ruction or under contract
State! wiU. here for the United
honor /an*ime commission, in
stead nf .a Carolinian in
vade svj ^°rth Carolinian was
aiington by the Greater Wil
the city nC,h«nber of Commerce,
civic nrn ,Wllmington and other
^organizations.
vessel, of 10,400 gross tons,
now is nearing completion and is
r'-heduled to be launched in the
near future.
It has been named the ‘Francis
Marion,” in honor of South Caro
lina’s famed “Swamp Fox,” ac
cording to information here
The Chamber of Commerce’s
telegram, addressed to Ad. Emery
S. Land, chairman of the com
mission, suggested that this honor
{Continued en f«e Iwo; Col, fi)
PILOT SOLE SURVIVOR AS 14 DIE IN PLANE CRASH
Alden Onsgard (left) co-pilot, and Bernice Blowers (center) stewardess, were among
the 14 persons killed as a Northwest Airlines plane crashed near Moorhead, Minn. The
plane, flying through fog and mist, was bound from Chicago to Seattle. Only survivor
was Capt. Clarence Bates (right) who wa s thrown clear.—Central Press Phonephoto.
Nazis Bogged Down
Except In Crimea
Vital Black Sea Port Of Sevastopol Apparent
Goal Of German Thrust Southward
LONDON, Oct. 31.—(/P)—Soviet dispatches reported
tonight that Hitler’s supreme offensive on Moscow had
fallen off today—the 30th day of the grand campaign
which he said was to bring a great decision at the Russian
center—to mere local attacks in all sectors except one.
DE GAULLE CALL
APPARENT FLOP
No Incidents In Occupied
France Reported After
Strike Summons
VICHY, Unoccupied France, Oct.
31.——The Frenchmen of Petain
and the new order turned their
backs today on General Charles
de Gaulle’s plea for a five-minute
standstill protest against the exe
cution of French hostages by the
Germans.
Extent of the response by otner
Frenchmen in the unoccupied zone
could not be judged impartially,
but at least there were no reports
of untoward incidents.
(A DNB dispatch from Paris to
Berlin said that the streets of that
occupied capital presented their
usual appearance at the appointed
time and that no incidents had
been reported by early evening).
If what could be seen of Vichy’s
response was typical, the De Gaul
list call was a failure in the unoc
cupied zone.
What could be learned of the
(Continued on Page Two; Col. «)
• In this single region of present
active menace—that limited on its
northern extremity by Kalinin, 95
miles northwest of Moscow, and
extending to the south somewhere
about Volokolamsk, which is 65
miles above the capital—the inva
der was. declared still beating tire
lessly at the Red line with infan
try and tank charges.
But, even there, said the official
Soviet news agency, the advance
was checked by heavy and re
peated Russian counter-attacks
The Red air arm was said to be
still in heavy action in this area.
In other sectors, and especially
to the west and southwest of the
capital, the Red armies were said
not only to be holding their posi
<Continued on Page Three: Col. S)
Sailors’ Wives Wait
Tensely For News Of
Mates Aboard James
PORTLAND, Me., Oct. 31.—
(/P)—Sixty sailormen’s wives
were torn between fear and
hope tonight as they awaited
word of their husbands, ap
proximately half the crewmen
of the torpedoed Reuben
James.
They stood together at news
paper and telegraph offices,
waiting tensely for news.
Mrs. Margaret James,, of
Hickory, N. C., wife of First
Class Metal Worker Vance T.
James, said:
“I feel that he is living and I
will never give up the idea.”
Solons Expect Treasury
To Ask Stiff New Taxes
WASHINGTON, Oct. 31. — UP) —
Some members of the House Ways
and Means committee said today
they expected the Treasury to pit
pose stiff taxation of idle capital,
possibly including savings bank de
posits, a,s part of a projected $6,
000,000,000 defense apd anti-inflation
tax program- A
DANIELS RESIGNS
AS MEXICO ENVOY
President, Secretary Hull
Express Regrets Over
Diplomat’s Action
WASHINGTON, Oci. 31.—LW—Jo
sephus Daniels, United States am
bassador to Mexico, resigned today
after more than eight years of
service under a president who. in
World war days, had served un
der him as assistant secretary of
the Navy.
In a letter to President Roose
velt, the 79-year-old diplomat ex
plained that his- wife’s ill health
made it necessary to relinquish
a post in which he had tried since
1933 “to incarnate your policy of
the Good Neighbor.”
Replying, the President saluted
Daniels as “Dear Chief” and call
ed him a man who, “perhaps more
than anyone else, has exemplified
the true spirit of the Good Neigh
bor in the foreign field.”
Secretary of State Hull likewise
eulogized the retiring ambassador
as an outstanding figure in Ameri
can public life for more than a
half century.
The question of Daniels’ suc
cessor was left open at the White
House and the State department,
(Continued on Page Two; Col. 1)
HEADLINES
LONDON, Saturday, Nov..1.—
UP)—Front-page bannerlines on
sinking of the Reuben Janies:
Daily Mail—L. S. Are On The
Last Mile Into^Var."
Daily Herald — “Nazis Glad
TJ. S. Warship Sunk.”
News Chronicle — "U. S. De
stroyer Sunk; Rut Policy Re
mains Same.”
44 Sailors Aboard Destroyer
Reuben James Reported Saved
SENATE ANGRILY
WRANGLES OVER
NEUTRALITY 1
Aiken Charges Roosevelt
‘Personally’ Responsi
ble For Sinking
BARKLEY DEFENDS
WASHINGTON, Oct. 31.—
(/P) — Torpedoing of the de
stroyer Reube/i James pro
duced a bitter row today in
the Senate, where Majority
Leader Barkley (Ky) angrily
disputed a statement that
President Roosevelt was “per
sonally responsible” fdr any
lives lost.
The charge of presidential re
sponsibility was made by Senator
Aiken (R.-Vt.) during debate on
the question of lifting the Neu
trality act’s restrictions on ship
ping, and Barkley immediately
cried that the accusation was ‘.‘un
fair.”
Reading in a loud voice from a
prepared statement, Aiken charged
that President Roosevelt, ‘‘with
out the knowledge or consent of
Congress,” had given orders to the
Navy to “hunt down and sink ships
of another nation with which we
are not legally at war.” ■
This was done, Aiken said, de
spite the fact that congress had
been given assurances that the
Javy would not engage in con
voying.
Then Aiken cited the torpedoing
(Continued on Page Three; Col. 3)
OPM BLACKOUT
INTO EFFECT
Southern Sectors Urged
To Full Cooperation
In Conservation
ATLANTA, Oct. 31.— UP)—Decora
tive lighting was blacked out to
night as the Office of Production
Management’s power curtailment
order went into effect for non-es
sential services.
J. A. Krug, chief of the OPM’s
power section, who arrived today
to set up administration and en
forcement of the order in the
southeast, also asked individual
consumers to conserve electricity
in view of the defense power
shortage.
The order covers all kinds of
window-lighting and electric signs,
as well as field lighting for ath
letic games, but Krug said the
order would not be applied to
games scheduled ihis weekend.
Krug, said a committee of state
utilities commissioners headed by
Chairman Walter R. McDonald of
(Continued on Page Two; Col. 8)
V0TINGB00KS
OPENED TODAY
Electors Urged To File
For Special Polls On.
Civic Work
Registration books will be open
ed throughout Wilmington Saturday
for voters to register for the spe
cial election, Dec. 2, on various
civic improvements and additions
totalling approximately $755,000.
Announcement that the books
would be open at the various poll
ing places from a.m. to 6 p.m.
was made by City Clerk J. R.
Benson, who, at the same time,
voiced an appeal for all qualified
voters to register, regardless of
their views on the various proj
ects.
The improvements and projects
include: Incinerator, $100,000; wa
ter works extension, $525,000; san
itary sewers, $35,000; storm sew
ers, $75,000; purchase of land and
development for public parks, $25,
000. 1
Ickes Says Jesse Jones
‘Forcing’ ALCOA Plant
■ .■ •■■■■ a. .. _ _
WASHINGTON, Oct. 31.—GW—
Interior Secretary Ickes, defense
investigators heard today, has ac
cused his fellow cabinet-member,
Jesse Jones, of an attempt at
“forcing my hand into the .signing
of a contract that would not be
in the public interest.”
This accusation was contained
in a letter written by Ickes to
Jones, Federal Loan administrator
and Secretary of Commerce, on
Sept. 2, protesting a contract .be
tween die Defense Plant corp. and
the Aluminum Company of Amer
ica for construction and operation
of new production facilities.
“Frankly,” Ickes wrote his col
league, “I would be reflecting on
your intelligence if 1 supposed for
a minute that you did not have in
mind the dilemma in which I
would find myself when the de
mand was made upon me to sign
on the dotted line an onerous and
unconscionable contract, or run the
(Continued on Page Three; Col. 1)
/
FIRST NEWS OF REUBEN JAMES
RAF Group Captain D. F.- Anderson, guest speaker at
the Greater Wilmington Chamber of Commerce mem
bership banquet Friday night, received first news of the
sinking of the United States destroyer Reuben James
when he arrived here late in the afternoon with his
American-born wife, the former Miss Alma Chamberlain
of Tarrytown, N. Y., and Howard Suttle, Washington
correspondent of the Star-News. The three are shown
above, reading the Wilmington News’ story of the sink
ing. Captain Anderson is at left, Mrs. Anderson, center,
and Mr. Suttle, right.
U. S. Planes Sound
Hitler Death Knell
Captain Anderson, Noted RAF Ace, Assures
Chamber Nazi Tyranny Nearing End
American-made warplanes, now beginning to. wing
their way across the Atlantic, with hundreds scheduled to
make the trip weekly, will sound the death knell for Adolf
Hitler and his band of German killers.
Such was the message brought
to Wilmington Friday night by
Group Captain D. F. Anderson,
RAF officer stationed in Washing
ton in charge of ferrying aircraft
overseas in an address to the
membership banquet of the Great
er Wilmington Chamber of Com
merce.
“When these planes—and I must
say that they are mighty good
ships—reach England in sufficient
quantity, I think we can say that
the knell of Hitler has rung!” Cap
tain Anderson, said amid applause
from the jammed banquet hall at
the Cape Fear hotel.
Attired in a blue-gray uniform,
with • the wings of the RAF over
his heart, the well-built, baldish
Englishman told his audience how
America’s effort is helping Great
Britain win the war and how Hit
ler’s luftwaffe had been unsuccess
ful in its effort to bomb England
into submission.
The speaker was introduced by
Harriss Newman, chairman of the
Chamber of Commerce reorgani
zation committee. He paid a glow
ing tribute to the RAF—“that lit
tle band of heroes who blasted
Hitler’s hopes of invading the Brit
ish Isles.” At the conclusion of his
(Continued on Pag;e Three; Col. 1)
TRANSIENT RELEASED
FINDLAY, O., Oct. 31. — LT> — A
transient, whose name was withheld,
jailed a month ago for questioning
about the 1939 wreck of the South
ern Pacific’s streamliner, City of
San Francisco, was released today
for lack of evidence.
WEATHER
FORECAST
North Carolina: Cloudy, occasional
rain Saturday and Saturday night in
east portion Sunday: clearing in west
portion Sunday with falling tempera
tures. rain heavy in mountains Satur
day nigt, otherwise light.
(By TJ. S. Weather Bureau)
(Meteorological data for the 24 hours
ending 7:30 p. m. yesterday).
Temperature
1:30 a. m. 62; 7:30 a. m. 63: 1:30 p. m.
78: 7:30 p. m. 71; maximum 59; mini
mum 79: mean 69: normal 61.
Humidity
1:30 a. m. So; 7:30 a. m. 93: 1:30 p. m.
39: 7:30 p. m. 87.
Precipitation
Total for the 24 hours ending 7:30
p. m. 0.00 inches. Total since the first
of the month 0.65 inches.
Tides For Today
(From Tide Tables published by L'.
S. Coast and Geodetic Survey).
High Low
Wilmington- 7:41a 2:20a
S :03p 2:49p
Masonboro Inlet- 5:41a 11:51a
6:02p p
Sunrise 6:32a; sunset 5:20p; moon
»ise 4:16p; moonset 4:12a.
Cape Fear river stage at Fayette
I viile at 8 a. m„ 9.15 feet.
A (Continued tin Paga lwoi CoL 3)
GESTAPO LINKED
TO SPY SUSPECT
Defendant Says Relatives
Threatened Unless He
- Sold Bombsight
NEW YORK, Oct. 31.—(TP)—His
face swollen by weeks of weeping,
Hermann Lang, 4n, one of 15 men on
trial for espionage conspiracy, testi
fied today that he was hounded by
Gestapo agents in Germany and that
they threatened to harm his family
if he had lied in denying knowledge
of the American Norden bombsight.
Lang, an inspector in the Carl L.
Norden concern, said he took his
wife to Germany June 9, 1938, re
turned to New York the following
Sept. 23, and advised his employer
that a doctor had ordered the trip
for his wife for her health.
The government charged that
while there he sold particulars of the
Norden bombsight.
Eight weeks before leaving New
(Continued on Page Three; Col. 3)
American Flier Dies
While On Mercy Hop
HONOLULU, Oct. 3L—UP>~Lieut.
Henry Ellison Thompson, 24, was
killed today in the plunge of his
Army pursuit plane into the sea dur
ing a search for another Army flier
who had been forced to bail out
from his ship over the water.
The parachuting flier, Lieut. A.
J. Feiler, 24, was rescued by Capt.
Aaron W. Tyler, pilot of an amphib
ian plane. Tyler, put his plane down
on the water near where Feiler had
alighted.
SEVEN OFFICERS
AND 70 CREWMEN
STILL MISSING
U. S. Warship Torpedoed
While On Convoy Patrol
In North Atlantic
CAPITAL EXCITED
WASHINGTON, Oct .31.—
(/F; — The Navy tersely an
nounced the rescue of 44
members of the crew of the
American destroyer Reuben
James tonight, leaving the
fate of some 70 more enlisted
men and seven officers still
the subject of anxious wait
ing and inquiry.
But, beyond this and ihe fact
that the ship had been torpedoed
and sunk west of Iceland — the
first American naval vessel to be
sent to the bottom since the war
started—the department still was
without information.
Presumably, several ships may
have taken part in the rescue
work, for the Reuben James was
on convoy duty, and most com
monly advanced theory for the
lack of news was that fescue ships
were making no radio reports for
fear of disclosing their positions
to Nazi submarines.
The first word of the incident
was received this morning in a
short, matter-of-fact statement
from the Navy.
Tonight, almost 12 hours later,
it had this to add:
“The Navy department has re
ceived a report that 44 members
of the crew of the U. S. S. Reuben
[James have been rescued. The
(Continued on Page Two; Col. 5)
BRITISH CLAIM
U-BOAT WAR ON
U. S. Warned To Anticipate
Further Submarine At
tacks On Vessels
LONDON, O'ct. 31.——Sinking
of the U. S. destroyer Reuben
James, following attacks on the
American destroyers Greer and
Kearny, was described by an au
thoritative British spokesman to
night as a clear indication that Ger
many already is waging “indiscrim
inate warfare against the United
States'.”
Furthermore, this spokesman ob
served, “the United States can ex
pect heavier and heavier attacks
against her shipping west of Ice
land.”
The German submarines, he said,
have supply ships which can oper
ate in the vicinity of Baffin bay,
which lies above the Arctic Cir-Je
off the west eoast of Greenland,
while the U-boats, themselves, h*ve
been improved to give a wider op
erating range. »
Germany recently has concentrat
ed on making submarines of from
500 to 800 tons with a range of
from 8,000 to 10,000 miles, the
spokesman said.
An “enormous” German subma
rine fleet, he said, has been sent
into the North Atlantic and observed
that Germany "cannot really reach
her objective unless she goes for
such shipping.”
1,222 More Marines
Arrive At New River
JACKSONVILLE. Oct. 31.— UP) —
Approximately 1,222 Marines of the
11th division arrived at New River
today from Parris Island, S. C., mak
ing the strength of the station
about 3,200.
Members of the Fifth, Seventh
and 11th Marines compose the First
division of the Fleet Marine Force,
commanded by Brig.-Gen. Phillip G.
Torrey,
CZECHS EXECUTED
BERLIN, Oct. 31.—OPi—DNB re
ported tonight that four more
Czechs were executed in Prague
today as members of a group ac
tive in sabotage and incendiarism.
Teacher Parley Ends
In Officer Election
About 1,500 teachers and school
officials wound up their .convention
of the Southeastern district. North
Carolina Teachers association, here
Friday night with a session at New
Hanover High school.
All schools in the county were
closed during the day for the event.
The transaction of bu "ness be
gan at 10 a. m., Friday, in the
school auditorium. Principal speak
er was Clyde A. Erwin, state super
intendent of public instruction.
The convention closed flowing
presentation of “Funeral Flower*
for tlic- Bride,’’ by the Playmaker*.
During the afternoon, meetings
were held of teachers interested in
various separate departments of as
sociation. Officers of the groups
elected were:
Physical education: C. M. Collier,
Orrum, president; Robert Breiner,
Atkinson, vice-president; Grace
Croom, Cerro Gordo, secretary.
High school teachers: Mrs. Jack
(Continued on Page Two; Col. I) ■