The Abilene Reporter-News (Abilene, Tex.), Vol. 73, No. 301, Ed. 2 Tuesday, April 13, 1954 Page: 1 of 28
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1954
ommit-
st, his
it cur-
ds and
CLOUDY,
MILD
The 2b
JU
5 EVENING
FINAL
VOL. LXXIII, No, 301
“WITHOUT OR WITH OFFENSE TO FRIENDS OR FOES WE S KETCH YOUR WORLD EXACTLY AS IT GOES"—Byron
Associated Press (AP)
ABILENE, TEXAS, TUESDAY EVENING, APUL 13, 1954—TWENTY PAGES IN TWO SECTIONS
PUCE DAILY 5e, SUNDAY 10c
PROMISES TO FIGHT BACK — - p
Top Physicist Oppenheimer Earthen Darn Burst
Is Suspended for ‘Security
WASHINGTON A-Dr. J Robert published by New York morning hydrogen bomb project and that
Oppenheimer has been suspended newspapers, the opposition to the hydrogen
• as a government adviser on atomic There was no immediate com- bomb, of which you are the most
matters for security reasons—in- ment from the AEC. experienced, most powerful and
eluding accusations that be sought Nichols’ letter said 16 specific most effective member, has defi-
to block development of the hydro- allegations of subversive activities nitely slowed down its develop-
gen bomb. He declared he will had been leveled against Oppen- ment....
fight the accusations, heimer. One was that he battled “The commission has no other
The noted physicist, sometimes against construction of the H-bomb, recourse. In the discharge of its
called the man who built the .A- even after former President Tru- obligations to protect the common
bomb, disclosed the charges him- man approved it.
self today by making public an The letter, dated last Dec. 23,
exchange of letters with Maj. Gen. advised Oppenheimer:
the opposition to the hydrogen
experienced, most powerful and
Nichols’ letter said 16 specific most effective member, has defl-
Floods Snyde
eire
ilfit
defense and security, but to sus-
pend your clearance (to have
- -----------.----------==------atomic information) until the mat-
K. D. Nichols, general manager • "It was reported further that you ter has been resolved,
of the Atomic Energy Commission, were instrumental in persuading ‘Hereby Suspended’
’ _ " “Accordingly, your employment
on atomic energy commission work
and your eligibility for access to
restricted data are hereby sus-
pended.”
Stories about the charges had been other scientists not to work on the
Estep Engine
Good
By GEORGIA NELSON
as
certificates issued by the company.
Parks stated that Estep "made
William Estep's defense at-
torney, Maury Hughes of Dallas, all decisions’’ in the company's
attempted to put the atomotor la affairs.
fuel-less engine) on the level with
mercury jet engines being devel-
oped by the U. S. Army and Navy.
Cross-examining Parks, Hughes
asked if he did not know that
| the government has been trying to
perfect mercury jet engines.
U. S. District Attorney Heard L.
Floore objected vigorously.
Story in Reporter-News -...
Hughes unsuccessfully tried to
Hughes injected this into testi-
mony during Estep’s trial in U. S.
Court. He is charged with using
the U. S. mails to defraud and vio-
lation of SEC regulations in selling
stock in the Atomotor Manufactur-
In reply, Oppenheimer wrote a
43-page letter on March 4, which
be called “a summary account of
relevant aspects of my life.”
In the letter, the scientist took
up each of the allegations raised
in Nichols’ letter including the
statement that he had argued
against development of the hydro-
gen bomb in 1949.
Oppenheimer said be as well as
the entire general advisory com-
mittee on atomic matters, made up
of top-level scientists, argued
against the rapid build-up of H-
weapons, which the scientist re-
ferred to as a “crash program.”
He said the committee submitted
a report to the AEC stated that
“such a program might weaken
rather than strengthen the position
of the United States."
Co-operated Later
20-Foot Storage
Tanks Submerged
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Water piled up by heavy rain burst an earthen dam and
flooded part of the Kelley-Snyder oil field in West Texas Tues-
day.
Meanwhile, drizzle fell gently over drought-cracked fields
and ranges already bathed by four days of downpours across
the state.
The broken dam was on Bull Creek above Lake J. B.
Thomas, which supplies water for the cities of Snyder, Odes-
sa and Big Spring. Water surging down the creek against the
diversion dam smashed it late Monday. Tuesday morning
20-foot oil storage tanks downstream were under water and
at least 30 derricks upstream from the dam were inundated.
There was no loss of life because people in the area south-
west of Snvder could see the break was due and cleared out.
Runoff from the rains had raised Lake J. B. Thomas 4,-
ing Co. | introduce in testimony a photosta-
Judge T. Whitfield Davidson’s tie copy of a story which appear-
federal courtroom was filled with ed in the Abilene Reporter-News,
spectators, about half of
being students accompanied
teachers.
President ‘Knew Nothing’
Robert L. Parks of 1741 North St .
19th St. was one of four govern- Under questioning by Floore,noenheier said
ment witnesses placed on the stand Hughes said he had never read ecte.oppenheimer.sat
Tuesday morning. He said that al- the story and did not know wheth-
though he was elected president of er Ms brother, B. B. Parks, read
the company he knew nothing about li-
the company’s funds or where Its Other witnesses Tuesday morn-
bank account was. Parks said he ing were James M. Shelton of 873
never presided over a stockhold- Legett Dr., Mrs. Hope C. Lindley
ers' meeting, directed any af- of La Luz, N. M., and her son,
fairs of the company or consulted Buell Lindley of Alamogordo, N.
with any engineers on the atomo- M.
tor.
He testified he received — —
ary as company president and that
his only function was to sign stock
them The story described a fuel-less en-
by gine operated by expansion and
- contraction of mercury invented
by Samuel G. House of 2002 Grape
But, Oppenheimer said, he and
the other members of the commis-
sion shifted signals after President
Truman announced in January 1950
that the United States would pro-
ceed with the H-bomb program.
“I never urged anyone not to
work on the hydrogen bomb proj-
. All three told of buying stock in
the Atomotor Manufacturing Co.,
identifying checks they had writ-
ten and stock certificates receiv-
ed.
Abilene FFA
Wins Judging
Sweepstakes
Shelton testified that Estep told
him the atomotor, which would
revolutionize the motor industry,
was a government secret being
produced at Grand Prairie. He
said Estep told him the atomotor
would run almost without fuel.”
Shelton and his wife bought 200
See ESTEP, Pg. 5-A, Col. 4
After the President’s decision
was made, he declared, “we never
again raised the question of the
wisdom of the policy which had
now been settled, but concerned
ourselves rather with trying to
help implement it"
Sen. McCarthy (R-Wis) said in a
television speech last week that
development of.the H-bomb was
delayed for 18 months and asked
whether subversives might have
been behind the delay.
Neither Nichols’ nor Oppenheim-
feCarthy.
TRIO ESCAPES DEATH — Mr. and Mrs. Ruel Crow and T. M. Martin, all of Brownwood,
escaped from this automobile a few seconds before a wall of water washed it off a culvert
eight and a half miles east of Winters on Farm Road 53. The car was washed 400 yards
away and covered by water. It is shown as it was being hauled out of the Gap Creek.
Crow and Martin work for Santa Fe Railroad. (Photo by W. E. Little, Winters.)
Jury Ponders:
Was Jailing
er’s letter mentioned McCarthy. Ag A4.L 1 1
Accuser Unnamed UFMAN | AAA.E
Nor was there anything in VI I IQII Lwgtls
Nichols’ letter to indicate who had
made accusations about Oppen-
PUMPS STILL RUNNING
Abilene Lakes Catch
330 Million Gallons
000 acre feet.
Other reservoirs — some
that have never been full—also
kept rising.
The rushing water down normal-
ly dry Bull Creek brought fears
this morning for a bridge on the
Snyder-Big Spring Highway over
Colorado River. Joe Pickle, Big
Spring newsman, said Highway Pa-
trolmen were watching the bridge
closely to see if it will bold.
Pickle, secretary of the Colorado
Municipal Water District which
developed the Lake Thomas proj-
ect, said the lake will suffer a
major “loss” because of the break
in the Bull Creek diversion dam.
The small dam was built to shift
water over into the new lake.
Now, this flood water is rushing
on down Bull Creek and will go
Into the Colorado River below Lake
Thomas.
NATO-Type
Alliance Due
ForFarEast 1
LONDON J*—The United States
and Britain agreed today to.seek
a Nato-type military alliance of
10 nations, pivoted on Southeast
Asia. In an effort to safeguard
peace from Indochina to New
Zealand.
heimer.
Oppenheimer, now 49, acknowl-
edged that in his younger years
he had associated with Commu-
nists and contributed to some com-
munist causes.
Polio Tests Set
After April 25
STEPHENVILLE. April 13.
(RNS)—Abilene‘s FFA Chapter
was named Area IV sweepstakes
winner Tuesday morning in the
judging contests held Monday at
Tarleton State College.
The announcement came for J.
B. Payne, Stephenville, Area IV
supervisor, and W. W. Reed of
TSC, contest superintendent.
The FFA chapter scoring the
least number of points in all Delay . receiving the special
====== === «
in aU three contests, about weekshealth unit
The Abilene teams, coached by cials said Tuesday.
J. I. Moore and Bill Coalson, VA The trial, set to begin here this
teachers, placed second in poul- week for all second-graders whose
try, third in livestock and ninth parents requested it, cannot atari
in dairy cattle, for 2. 3 and 9 until after April 25, Dr. A. G. Ar-
points, or a total of 14. which was rant, who will direct the testing,
lowest for area IV contestants.
ment of Abilene's polio test trial
about two weeks, health unit offi-
said.
iu wya FEA vuap.es ........ The vaccine is now scheduled
coached by Bill Scott, VA teach- to arrive in Texas April 25 and
placed first in poultry and may come directly to Abilene. Dr.
Arrant said.
The Wylie FFA Chapter teams.
er, placed first in poultry ---
first in livestock, but dropped to
31st position in dairy judging for
a total of 33 points, one each for
the first places, but rocketing to
31 in dairy judging.
More than 1,300 FFA members
from 68 counties of Areas IV, VII,
and VIII, took part in the 26th
annual tri-area contests, the larg-
est ever held at Tarleton.
There were a total of 123 teams
in poultry, 172 in livestock, and
163 in dairy.
The vaccine may be sent to Aba-
lin. however, and then transferred
to the state's 10 testing areas.
The National Foundation, in co-
operation with state and local
health, medical and educational
authorities, is conducting a nation-
wide field study of the effective-
ness of the vaccine which may
be protective against paralysis due
to poliomyelitis.
The vaccine consists of chemi-
cally-killed polio virus of all three
known types. For purposes of this
study, approximately 3,500 first
three graders in Abilene and Tay-
lor county will participate in the
tests.
J. C. Hunter, Jr., overall chair-
man for the Abilene program esti-
mates that 1,160 second-graders
will receive the vaccine. Children
in the first and third grades will
not receive the vaccine, but will
be observed so that a comparison
can be made between the two
groups.
Dr. Arrant pointed out the chil-
dren in each group, those who are
vaccinated and those who are not,
are equally important to the study.
He said that in certain instances
it will be necessary to test small
samples of blood at intervals dur-
ing the study to determine the
amount of antibodies against po-
liomyelitis that are present.
A total of three doses of the
vaccine will be given to the second
graders. _
The jury in the 912,000 damage
suit against Sheriff Ed Powell
and Sweetwater Chief of Police
Lloyd Rogers recessed until 1:20
p.m. today after deliberating for
55 minutes Tuesday morning.
Powell and Rogers are defend-
ants in the suit filed by Wallace
T. Williams, Abilene trucker. Wil-
liams says he was arrested by
Powell and placed in Sweetwater
city jail overnight without any com-
plaint filed against him, and re-
leased the next morning. The case
has been on trial in 104th District
Court since Monday morning.
The charge of Judge Owen Thom-
as contained four special issue
questions to be answered by the
jury. The first instructed the
jury to note “yes" or “no” to the
question whether they found Pow-
ell was guilty of false imprison-
ment of Williams. The second ask-
ed, in case they answered "yes."
to state how much reasonable com-
pensation the plaintiff should
have for "humiliation and mental
FORMS FOR PARENTS — These workers are preparing forma to be sent to parents of all
first three graders. The forms are to be filled out by parents who desire their children to
participate in polio vaccination field trial here late this month. Left to right, they are Mrs.
R. Edwards, Mrs. Stanley Smith, H. B. Hildebrand, Mrs. E. N. Montgomery, and Mrs.
W. H. McMullan. (Roberta Studio photo)
suffering."
The third question was similar to
the first. It regarded Police.Chief
Rogers. "Do you find that before
placing Williams in jail, Rogers
had reason to believe that Wil-
liams had been found in a sus-
picious place and under circum-
stances which reasonably showed
that Williams had been guilty of
some breach of peace or was
threatening or about to commit
some offense against the law.”
If the answer was "No," the
jury was to state a reasonable
compensation for the “humiliation,
mental pain and suffering of the
plaintiff."
Testimony Monday was given by
plaintiff and the two defendants.
Powell said Williams and Homer
Pitcock, Williams' employe, has
threatened to take off a bus a
juvenile girl whom be was send-
ing home to Colorado. Powell said
he took the girl to Sweetwater to
avoid the threat, taking along Wil-
liam Tidwell, Abilene fireman, as
company. At Sweetwater Powell
said aa he was purchasing a ticket
for the girl, Williams and Pitcock
came into the bus station, that
Ptteock rushed toward and em-
braced the girl. Powell said be
invited the two to go to the city
hall with Mm.
At the city hall Powell and Chief
Rogers conferred. Rogers alleged-
ly placed both men in the city
jail and held them until the next
morning. '
Plaintiff said be was denied use
of a telephone until • o'clock the
night of his arrest and the next
morning was released. Rogers tes-
tified that be told Williams he was
holding him “because he had con-
tributed to the delinquency of a
minor.”
Williams testified Powell curs-
ed Mm. Powell denied this in Ms
testimony, also denied that he had
arrested him. Rogers and Powell
said that Williams was held until
the girl could be put on the bus
out of Ms ond Pitcock’s influence.
Tuesday morning the defense put
on the stand Abilene Policeman
Leonard C. Winters. Winters testi-
fied ho went with County Juvenile
Officer J. T. Sparks to pick up the
girl at an Abilene address.
Abilene's three lakes have
caught an estimated 330 million
gallons of water from the Sunday-
Monday rains and the Clear Fork
pumps are still running. That's
enough to run the city a month
and a half.
Curtis Harlin, water and sewer
superintendent, said at noon
Tuesday runoff has almost all
More Light
Rain Possible
West Texas is expected to keep
its blanket of soggy clouds through
tonight and possibly Wednesday,
but they have let loose all the
heavy rain they have in store. Abi-
lene forecasters said Tuesday
morning.
More drizzle and light rain may
fall, but no more of the soakers
which dropped Sunday night and
Monday morning are expected.
The heaviest rains came Sunday
night and Monday, ranging from
around two inches to the north of
Abilene, to waterspouts estimated
up to around seven inches in some
parts of Runnels County and south
to Mason.
Some towns got added rainfall
Monday afternoon and night Some
of these late reports made to West
Texas Utilities Co. by local sta-
tions were: Baird .75 inch; Throck-
morton, .10; Knox City, 1.50; Mun-
day, .85; Mason, .10. These read-
ing are in addition to Sunday rain.
Abilene got a total of 2 inches
out of the rainy spell by
noon Tuesday. This pulls the total
precipitation for this year to 3.11
inches. This is better than at this
time last year. 2 51 inches, but
still far from normal rainfall for
the first four months of the year,
5.38 inches.
Downpours in other areas bulged
city lakes. Lake Daniel near
Breckenridge was over the spill-
way. Lake Baird overflowed and
backed water up over the road to
Admiral.
House Votes to End
Special Meet Today
AUSTIN (n—The House voted
76-44 today to adjourn finally the
33rd Legislature's special session
at 4 p.m. The Senate would have
to concur to make the resolution
effective.
The action came as legislators
battled to push through local and
pet measures in a race to mop up
last minute details before adjourn-
ment.
The Senate meanwhile recessed
until 2 p.m.
Boy, 11, Killed
drained from the watersheds of
the three lakes. But flood waters
are still coming down the Clear
Fork. Rain around Abilene was
the “soaker" type. Most of it
went into the ground.
The pumps, which lift water over
into Phantom Hill Lake, started at
noon Monday. Since then, two
pumps have been on except for a
short time during last night when
water dropped and one pump was
cut off.
Lake Kirby is up three inches,
a total of about 20 million gallons.
Lake Abilene rose two inches, a
total of 10 million gallons.
Phantom got the bulk of the
catch, 300 million gallons which
put the lake up six inches. Of that
300 million, about 73 million gal-
lons have come from the pumps,
Harlin said.
The boost from the slow rains-
the five-to-seven inch deluges all
missed Abilene watersheds — gave
Abilene enough water to run the
city between one and two months.
Average consumption, year-round,
is about 7% million gallons each
24 hours.
Phantom is now about 12 feet
below the spillway. It contains
about 12.1 billion gallons. It could
hold 24 billion gallons.
Lake Kirby is 12.7 feet below
spillway. It has in it about 640
million gallons against a capacity
of 2.850 billion. Lake Abilene is too
low to gauge depth below spillway,
but it does have in it an estimated
570 million gallons. Its capacity
is 3.250 billion gallons.
Before these newest rains, Abi-
lene had enough water stored to
run the city (at present rate of
consumption with average evapo-
ration) for two and a half years.
Harlin estimated.
The oil wells inundated since the
2heahe or use Reney shyaer meld.
They are in or near the Bull Creek
•’draw” which is normally dry.
Pickle flew over the area Mon-
day before the diversion dam went
out. He said water was backed up
from 15 to 20 miles and a few
wells behind the diversion darn
were already inundated.
E. V. Spence, general manager
of the water district, and O. H.
Ivy, production engineer, were at
the flood site this morning. They
will be joined by Larry Eads of
Freese and Nichols, consulting en-
gineers, to survey the damage.
Pickle said it was not known
this morning whether all of the Bull
Creek diversion dam was washed
out.
Farmlands and ranges took on
a new, fresh look.
Timberlands hadn’t looked so
green in years.
Farmers Hope Anew
Farmers, filled with despair just
a week ago, had new hope.
And in the hours before dawn
Tuesday rain, light and in drizzles,
fell on Wichita Falls, Midland.
Abilene, Junction, Maria, San An-
tonio, Wink, Brownsville, Mineral
Wells, Amarillo, Fort Worth, Lub-
bock and Dallas.
The Weather Bureau said more
showers, scattered thundershowers
and thunderstorms were in pros-
pect for an the state.
Nobody claimed the drought was
ended. But everybody knew it had
been severely dented. At Brown-
field, happiness was almost com-
plete. The high school band staged
a downtown parade and crowned
15-year-old Kay Kissinger, “Miss
Drought-Breaker of 1954."
They declared Communist ag-
Eltena Lepz.dci’a/a:
rich lands extending to Australia,
the Philippines and Thailand.
The decision to press for the
formation of a new Southeast Asia
defense system was announced in
■ joint British-American commu-
nique after a two-day conference
between U.S. Secretary of State
Dulles and British leaders on a
"united action” program.
A ton - ranking American official,
said Dulles was “very satisfied’*
with the meeting and felt the talks
“went far towards establishing the
unity of purpose which he sought
on Southeast Asia defense.”
Dulles was leaving by plane for
Paris to line up France in what
the official said might become a
"Southeast NATO."
Dulles held his fifth conference
in three days today with British
Foreign Secretary Eden, telling re-
porters as he entered the Foreign
Office: "We shall have something
to say this afternoon."
The American secretary planned
to fly to Paris later, talk with
Premier Joseph Lanie! and For-
eign Minister Georges Bidault,
and leave for Washington tomor-
row night or Thursday.
British informants said Eden, at
his talks with Dulles Sunday night
and yesterday, made this compro-
mise offer:
(1). British support for the
American’s proposed anti-Commu-
nist alliance in the Pacific around
Communist China, but (2) no
strong declaration of united action
in Indochina until the West finds
out at the Geneva conference,
opening April 28, whether the Com-
munists really are willing to ne-
gotiate for peace in Asia.
SWEETIE PIE
"f(
HOUSTON un—Robert Warren
Watson, 11, son of Mr. and Mrs.
Stanley Watson, was killed yester-
day when the roof of a makeshift
cave fell on him along the banks
of Bray's Bayou. Police said ho
died of suffocation. Two com-
panions escaped injury.
A DEMON ON WHEELS
Be on the lockout for SWEETIE
PIE, a lovable, laughable little
mischief who raises havoc as her
favorite pastime. You’ll even
discover that she has on occo-
sional sweet streok, too. Watch
for this hilarious new comic
panel every day in the
Tye Meets Tonight,
May Incorporate
TYE, April U — A town meet-
ing to talk over plans to incorp
orate Tye has been called for 8
o'clock tonight at the Tye school.
Bill Mauldin, resident of Tye and
MORNING EDITION OF
THE
ABILENE REPORTER-NEWS
beginning April 19.
salesman for an Abilene packing
company, will speak on "Four Rea-
sons Why Tye Should Incorporate."
The Rev. Temple Lewis, Baptist
minister, will preside at the meet-
The incorporation move is the
preliminary step in the communi-
ty’s effort to join with Abilene.
Merkel and other towns in a wa-
ter project, Lewis said.
Before Tye could vote bonds to
join in the water program, it must
be incorporated. Tye has never
been incorporated
Tentative plan is to extend the
boundaries of the original town-
site by approximately 27 acres on
the north, 100 acres on the south,
36 acres on the east and 40 acres
on the west, Lewis said.
He described these proposed ex-
tensions as "normal" ones, taking
inhabited arena adjacent to the or-
iginal townsite of about 80 to 100
acres.
A community must have 266 in-
habitants to incorporate. Lewis
said. The area being considered as
townsite for the incorporated city
would include around 900 people.
The proposed city boundaries
would not include any of the land
in the Abilene Air Force Base,
Lewis said. City lines would go
to within about one-half mile of
the extreme northern portion of
the base.
THE WEATHER
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
WEATHER BU-----
ABILENE AND VICIN
sUM with occasional ligh
Wane
and
5, The tony, nets
ight, near €0: high
Matte
ment. wee
er with sea
: **
i =
E =
5 :
ers
No WEST TEXAS
scattered, showers
a afternoon and to-
r cloudy and warm.
TEMPERATURES
Tues. A.M.
...... 1.30 ............"
f K a
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The Abilene Reporter-News (Abilene, Tex.), Vol. 73, No. 301, Ed. 2 Tuesday, April 13, 1954, newspaper, April 13, 1954; Abilene, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1649455/m1/1/?rotate=270: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Abilene Public Library.