The frontier. (O'Neill City, Holt County, Neb.) 1880-1965, August 06, 1953, SECTION 1, Image 1

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    -VOICE
OF THE FRONTIER” TWELVE
PAGES
★
SECTION 1
Pages 1 to 12
0:45 A.M. — 780 k.c.
. j ..' f
Volume 73. Number 14. O Neill, Nebraska, Thursday, August 6, 1933. Seven Cents
Freight Engine Hits
Motor Car; Man Dies
Young Mother
Dies in Omaha
Survivors Include 3
Small Sons
The mother of three small sons,
the youngest of whom was only a
few hours old, died Saturday ;n
St. Catherine’s hospital, Omaha.
Funeral services for Mrs. Owen
Moore, 34, the former Margaret
Mary Earley of O’Neill, were
conducted at 9 o’clock Tuesday
morning, August 4, from St. Pat
rick’s Catholic church. Very Eev.
Mrs. Moore . . . burial here.
Timothy O’Sullivan officiated
and burial was in Calvary cem
etery under the direction of Big
1 in Brothers.
Pallbearers were Robert Gal
lagher, John Cleary, John Con
way, Michael Bonenberger, Louis
Zastrow, Edward Murray, Ber
nard Pongratz and James Dono
Jl9e.
The late Mrs. Moore was born
April 4, 1919, on the family
farm located 15 miles north
west of O'Neill, a daughter of
Mr. and Mrs. James T. Earley.
She received her grade school
and high school education at Si.
Mary’s academy, graduating in
1936'
After attending Nebraska uni
versity she worked in Denver
five years. It was in Denver she
met and married Owen Moore of
Amarillo, Tex. They were
married on September 21, 1946.
The Mooses resided for several
years in Wisconsin after Mr.
Moore was recalled to duty as an
army captain. Upon his release
from the army, they purchased a
home in Omaha.
a we x»iuuica uccaxiic liic jjuxcuia
of three sons—Michael, Leo and
Bruce Allan, the latter born im
mediately prior to his mother’s
death.
Survivors include: Widower
sons — Michael, Len and Bruce
Allan; parents — Mr. and Mrs.
James T. Earley of O’Neill: broth
ers — Robert of Syossett, L.I.,
N.Y., Joseph of Fremont and
James of O’Neill.
Among those from out-of-town
attending the funeral were: Nel
son F. Moore of Geneva, O., Mrs.
Mamie Rohrbaugh of Youngs
town, 0-. and Mrs. Harold Mor
gan of Fostoria, O., brother and
sisters of Mr. Moore; Robert Ear
ley of Syossett, L.I., N.Y.; Mr.
and Mrs. Joseph Earley of Fre
mont; William McCormick and
Leo Anderson, both of Omaha;
Mrs. Cecil Muller of Omaha and
her mother, Mrs. Ella Gaughan
of North Bend; Edward T. Ear
ley of North Bend.
Cronin Nominated
i to Head State Bar
Julius D. Cronin, 58, veteran
O’Neill attorney and prominent
for many years in Nebraska re
publican' politics, has been nom
inated to head the Nebraska State
Bar association He is the only
nominee for the post, according
to an announcement issued by
the nominating committee.
The association’s president,
three vice-presidents and ex
ecutive council member-at-large
will be elected at the 1953 annual
meeting to be held in Omaha
November 12 and 13.
Cronin is a native of O’Neill
end the son of the late D. H.
Cronin, pioneer editor of The
Frontier and veteran Nebraska
legislator.
He was a delegate to the re
publican national convention in
1936 and 1948.
Vern Cunningham, 58 yea*--old
Oakdale man, was fatally injured
about 8:40 a.m., Thursday, July
30, when the motor ear on which
ie had been riding was struck
hy an eastbound Chicago &
North Western freight tram at
a point about three miles west
of Emmet.
Three O’Neill crewmen —
James Boyle, Hans Saas and A1
Bosn—jumped free of the west
bound motor car when they saw
the freight train rounding a
curve and bearing down on them.
Boyle got off the car and ran
ahead to flag down the train
while Cunningham, Saas and
Bosn tried to stop the car by
applying the brakes^ and put
ting it in reverse. '
When they saw their efforts
were to no avail, it is reported
the three abandoned the car.
Cunningham is said to have re
turned to the car for some lea
son and he was fatally injured
in the head-on crash.
County Assessor William Wef
so of Atkinson, heading eastward
toward O’Neill on US. highway
20, assisted in loading the in
jured man into his auto and took
him to St. Anthony’s hospital
here, accompanied by Boyle and
Saas.
Bosn stayed with the wreck
age.
Supt. A. L. Eckles of the rail
road’s Norfolk office said the
crew apparently didn’t see the
freight train until it was very
close to them.
At 10:15 o’clock Mr. Cunning
ham died. He was a relief section
foreman on duty at O’Neill.
Military funeral services were
conducted at 2 p.m., Saturday
from the Methodist church in
Oakdale. Mr. Cunningham was a
veteran of World War I. Burial
was at Oakdale.
His wife died in July, 1945
Survivors include one daughter,
Mrs. Lois James, of Neligh.
Carl Pettijohn
Dies in Hospital
Veteran Hay Inspector
111 a Week
Funeral services were conduct- ■
ed at 10 a.m., Wednesday, August
5, from the Biglin Brothers fu
neral chapel for Carlton W. Pet
tijohn, 74, an O’Neill resident
who died at 7:15 p.m., Sunday,
August 2, in St. Anthony’s hospi
tal.
He had submitted to surgery
about a week before his death
and failed to recover.
Rev. Charles Phipps, Wesleyan
connolly 24 FP
Methodist church pastor in At
kinson, officiated. Burial was in
Prospect Hill cemetery. Pallbear
ers were Charles Beilin, Roy
Johnson, Lawrence Jonas, H. E.
Coyne, Roy Worth and Justin
Butterfield.
The late Mr. Pettijohn was
born December 24, 1878, at Rav
nard, 111., a son of Robert and
Elizabeth Connley Pettijohn. He
came to Holt county from Long
Pine in 1896. He was a hay in
spector by occupation.
On January 3, 1918, at Neligh
he married the former Amanda
Martha Greseck. They became
the parents of one son.
Survivors include: Widow; son
—Frank of Bensenville, 111.; three
grandchildren.
Dobson’s Enter
Low Paving Bid
w
The Dobson Bros. Construction
company of Lincoln, successful
bidder at the letting of contracts
a fortnight ago for O’Neill’s new
swimming pool, held the low
card again Friday night when
the city council met in special
session to open bids on eight
blocks of paving.
Dobson’s were three thousand
aollars under the next highes
bidder on the total amount for
paving and improving of streets
in districts number 7 and 8.
The districts embrace four
square blocks adjoining the
center of the city and the con
tract calls for eight lineal
blocks of concrete paving.
(Continued on page 6.)
Gas Flare
Lighting
August 13
Color Ceremony Will
Usher in Use of
Natural Gas Here
i A flare-lighting ceremony next
Thursday evening, August 13,
will mark the inauguration of
natural gas service into O’Neill.
Mayor J. E. Davis will light
the flare in front of the Holt
county courthouse. Officers of
Kansas - Nebraska Natural Gas
company will attend.
Of 14 communities in north
east Nebraska to which the com
pany is building lines, O’Neill is
the third to be connected. Kan
sas-Nebraska is investing more
than $1,70,0,000 in the extension
of its system north of Neligh lo
bring gas to O’Neill, Plainview,
Osmond, Creighton, Inman,
Bloomfield, Wausa, Randolph,
Laurel, Hartington, Coleridge^
Clearwater, Ewing and Pierce.
Gas to serve O’Neill is brought
from the Hugoton field in soutn
ern Kansas and northern Okla
homa, the largest gas field in the
world.
Kansas-Nebraska also draws
gas from fields in western Ne
braska and eastern Colorado.
In these three fields the com
pany gathers gas from 230
wells.
ihe company also has 40 addi
tional wells available and await
ing connection to its gathering
facilities. It is estimated that the
company has a reserve supply of
gas equal to 30 times the annual
consumption of its present cus
tomers.
Kansas-Nebraska Natural (las
company was founded in 1936. It
pioneered the bringing of natural
gas service to smaller cities and
towns of Kansas and Nebraska.
The company was built on
faith and courage, a spokesman
for the company said. At the
time of its organization, other
leaders in the gas industry warn
ed that bringing gas to the small
communities scattered over a
large area was risky business.
But Kansas - Nebraska officer
visioned the cordial reception
of natural gas service and went
ahead with the venture.
O’Neill is the 173d town to be
connected to the Kansas-Nebras
ka system. The population of the
communities served in north-cen
tral Kansas, central and western
Nebraska, and eastern Coloraao
totals more than 250,000.
One hundred twelve commun
ities are provided retail service
by Kansas-Nebraska. In 59 ether
communities the company brings
its pipe lines to the town border
where gas is supplied on a whole
sale basis to other companies
which distribute the gas
In the company's new north
eastern Nebraska extensions,
all communities will be served
at retail except Pierce. There
the company will wholesale the
gas to the Central Gas & Elec
trie company.
Although the total population
served by Kansas-Nebraska is
not as large as many companies
serve in a single city, Kansas
Nebraska must maintain 3,400
miles of pipe line to serve its
customers.
In its new northeast Nebraska
division, Kansas-Nebraska will
have 36 regular employees. Char
les S. Duncan, district manager,
states that about half of these
will be hired locally. “Over its
entire system the company em
ploys about 550 people,” Duncan
said.
O’Neill employees are Manager
Cecil Baker, George Bosn, Free
man Knight, Leland Lieb, Bex
Stowell. Orville Dye, Lowell Nes
bitt and Miss Deritha Smith.
Plans for completing the wind study here
will continue, despite the loss of six lives in the
helicopter tragedy. Prof. Vern Suomi (left), Ben
Davidson (center) and Dr. Heinz Lettau discuss
problepis on the test site. Professor Suomi is
from the University of Wisconsin. Davidson and
Lettau are directors of the project. A third di
rector, Dr. Guenter Loeser. died in the 'copter
crash.—The Frontier Photo.
6 Die in ’Copter Crash;
Research Going Ahead
- A i A i • ...
—r- -■ ...^^^^ljnfffBMr"^
Helicopter wreckage ... six persons instantly killed.—The Frontier Photo.
★★★ ★★★ t ★★★
Arrow points to rotor mechanism where blade snapped
off.—The Frontier Photo.
-—--—. i
Sarah Connolly
Long 111, Dies
O’Neillite Expires in
Beverly Hills
Mrs. Sarah Connolly, 82, a
longtime resident of the O’Neill
community, died at 9:15 o’cIock
Wednesday morning, August 5,
at the home of her daughtef, Mrs.
John Dailey, at Beverly Hills,
Calif. She had been ill for some
time.
Mrs. Connolly resided here un
til two months ago when she
went to California to reside with
her daughter.
Funeral arrangements for the
burial at Beverly Hills have net
been completed.
Sarah Slattery, daughter of the
late Michael and Sarah Slattery,
was born on June 10, 1871, in
Pittsburgh, Pa. After coming to
this area she married Patrick J.
Connolly, who worked for the
railroad and later operated a
cream station until his death
several years ago. They became
the parents of two chilldren—
Joseph and Gertrude. Joseph
preceded her in death about five
years ago.
Survivors include: Daughter—
Mrs. John (Gertrude) Dailey of
1823 Fox Hills drive, Beverly
Hills, Calif.; brother—Ed Slattery
of Winter, Wise.; sister — Mrs.
Clyde (Katherine) Hiatt of O’
Neill; several nieces and ne
phews.
Arrives from Glendale—
Mrs. Alice Bridges arrived last
Thursday from Glendale, Calif.,
where she had been living for
the past year. On Monday she
resumed her job as secretary to
Julius D. Cronin, O’Neill attor
ney. Mrs. Bridges is making her
home in an apartment in the
William Artus home. Her son,
Pfc. James Bridges, will arrive
today (Thursday) from Ft. Bragg,
N.C., to spend a furlough here.
Holt Teachers
on Mexico Tour
Miss Lucille Mitchell of Stuart,
Miss Leah Serck of Emmet and
Miss Leona Fern Beckwith of
Atkinson left Omaha Tuesday
morning, July 28, with 34 other
Nebraska school teachers for an
extended tour of Mexico.
Miss Elja McCullough, former
Holt county superintendent of
schools, is director of the tour.
Miss McCullough currently is
dean of women at Dana college,
Blair.
Enroute to Mexico, they visited
places in Kansas, Oklahoma and
Texas. One complete day was
spent in the historical town of
Laredo, Tex.
The group will be back Aug 10..
Crash Sidelights
Tired Warrior—
Capt. Charles A. Johnson, pilot,
was a veteran of 13 years in the
air force. He arrived on the
Korean war scene early and spent
nearly a year and a half there,
originally flying fighter planes
and rounding out his stay there
as a ’copter pilot doing rescue
work on the west coast of Korea.
Captain Johnson was the father
of three children.
He carried an unofficial card
which testified to his Korean
duty. “This certifies that Capt.
Charles A. Johnson has served
his time in hell,” the card stated,
signifying he had run the gamut
in the Far East. He would not
readily discuss his war exploits,
and when asked during a “Voice
of The Frontier” radio interview
what decorations he had earned,
he simply didn’t say.
Captain Johnson was of slight
ly above average height, wore a
short haircut and was an intelli
gent, quiet, pleasant fellow. He
impressed this Frontier reporter
as a tired warrior who had been
given a research assignment far
less arduous than the jobs he had
been on.
But that isn’t the way things
turned out.
* * *
I Bodies Escorted—
Bodies of the ’copter crash vic
tims were forwarded Saturday
night by rail from Sioux City to
the respective hometowns. They
were accorded military escort.
Funeral services for Dr. Guenter
Loeser will be conducted today
(Thursday) in Boston, Mass. The
rites will be conducted at 2 p.m.,
from the Mt. Auburn chapel.
* * *
Gasque Just Arrived—
Lt. Francis Gasque drove in
from Boston, Mass., about 11:30
o’clock on the eve of the fateful
accident. He was copilot on the
flight but was sent here to re
lieve Captain Johnson on arouno
the-clock operations as pilot.
* * *
Another 'Copter Requested—
Maj. Oscar Tibbets said Wed
nesday another helicopter has
been requested for continuation
(Continued on page 6)
By a Staff Writer
Six persons including a famous German scientist were killed
instantly at 10:47 a.m., Thursday, July 30, when an air force H-18
helicopter crashed in a J. B. Ryan pasture located about six miles
northeast of O’Neill. The three-ton ’copter which had reached O’Neill
only a few days before, appeared to disintegrate when one of the
rotor blades broke loose while the craft was preparing to land.
The ’copter hit the earth with a rending crash, having gone
out of control at an altitude of about one hundred feet.
Perhaps 75 persons witnessed the accident.
Killed were:
DR. GUENTER LOESER. 40, 41 Paul street, Watertown, Mass.;
husband of Mrs. Isle Loeser, same address.
CAPT. CHARLES A. JOHNSON, about 33, pilot, native of San
Gabriel, Calif.; husband of Mrs. Grace M. Johnson, Lexington, Mass.
LT. FRANCIS GASQUE, Conway, S.C., copilot; son of Archie
M. Gasque, same address.
S/SGT. ROBERT IDE, about 25, crew chief and flight engineer;
son of William A. Ide, Scranton, Pa.
A/2c DONALD E. EDDY, about 21, son of Mrs. Ella V. Eddy,
Clarington, O.
A/2c FRANCIS G. MAPES, about 23, son of Mrs. Viola G.
Mapes, Monocqua, Wise.
Doctor Loeser . . . interna
tionally famed scientist. —The
Frontier Photo (transmitted
around the world by Associat
ed Press Wirephoto).
Captain Johnson . . . highly -
decorated fighter and 'copter
pilot.—The Frontier Photo.
f — ^
Recent Visitor
at Ewing Drowns
EWING—Mrs. Anna Pollock
received word Sunday telling of
the death by drowning of her
nephew, Wayne Divan. The ac
cident happened in a reservoir
near White Clay, S.D.
She left Monday for Gordon
to be near the youth’s parents,
Mr. and Mrs. Frank Divan and
to attend the funeral.
Wayne was discharged from
the navy about a month ago and
was a guest of his aunt for a few
days at Ewing.
Loeser Wagered on Moon Trip,
By CAL STEWART
Editor. The Frontier
A young teenage science stu
dent from the Saar basin and the
son of the editor of Germany’s
foremost scientific journal en
thusiastically posted what may
seem to have been preposterous
bets with some of the older Eur
opean scientists. That was in
1928.
Guenter Loeser, in those days a
high school physics student
spending weekends studying un
der Professor Currie at Sorbonne
university in Paris, contended
that before he (Loeser) attained
the age of 50 a successful ex
pedition from the earth to the
back of the moon would have
been completed.
The bets were readily grabbed
up. Doctor Loeser’s brilliant ca
reer ended abruptly at the age
of 40 in a helicopter accident near
O’Neill on Thursday, July 30.
This enthusiasm for interplan
etary explorations, however, will
be carried on by his compatriots.
Doctor Loeser, one of the di
rectors of the Great Plains Turb
ulence Field Project now in pro
gress near here, was interested
in space flights as a hobby.
He organized the Interna
tional Society of Interplanetary
Scientists, largely composed of
scientists from Britain, France,
Germany and the U.S. He be
came the society's first secre
tary and discussed the organ
ization in the United Nations
at Lake Success, N.Y.
Doctor L'o e s e r ’ s scientific
knowledge was so valuable that
the Hitler government assigned
him to the Krupp munitions
works prior to and during World
War II. He was a ballistics ex
pert and helped develop the fa
mous V-2 rockets, which had a
terrifying effect on England,
principally London, during the
late war.
During the Germans’ shelling
of Sebastopol (bitterly defended
Russian city), Loeser was flown
to the eastern front during the
night to make adjustments on a
custom - built nazi gun that
sprawled over six railroad cars.
With Germany prostrate fol
lowing the war, he “mended
watches” for farmers and vil
lagers in the Saar basin. They
exchanged milk and eggs for
watch and clock Repairing.
Loeser’s elderly father died
and Guenter, then in his mid
thirties, took over as editor of
the magazine in a limited way.
The country’s economy was
wrecked but the scientists kept
at research in the western zone.
They labored under all kinds of
trying conditions, the doctor has
told us.
“You’d be surprised at the re
sults that came out of unheated
rooms and makeshift labora
! tories,” he explained.
The Western Germany postwar
government had few resources
for continuing meteorological re
search, so Doctor Loeser accept
ed an opportunity to work for the
U.S. air force research center at
Cambridge, Mass.
“I had an opportunity to estab
lish for the government of Mex
ico a weather forecasting system
—an attractive offer, it was—but
I preferred to bring my family
to the U.S. I am not content to
work with my hands in routine
things,” he explained. “I am a re
searcher.”
He fold us how difficult it
was for any organization ex
(Continued on page 6)
s
r irst persons to reach the crash
scene were A/lc Edward G.
Populo and A/2c Wallace E.
Wimmer, who hastily boarded a
jeep driven by Wimmer and
rushed to the scene. Populo suc
ceeded in pulling Captain John
son’s body from the cockpit and
together they freed the body of
Lieutenant Gasque.
They heard a hissing sound and
anticipated an explosion and fire.
They safely withdrew from the
death scene with only a few
seconds to spare.
It was generally considered
that all six persons died in
stantly in what was Holt coun
ty's worst single accident of
any description and Nebraska's
second worst air tragedy since
the close of World War II.
One of the wrist watches worn
by a crew member stopped at
10:47.
Maj. Oscar J. Tibbets of Mc
Lean, Tex., commanding officer
of the military personnel, with
held names of the personnel un
til after notification of the acci
dent had been made to and
acknowledged by next-of-kin.
Captain Johnson and Sergeant
Ide had flown the ’copter—the
biggest standard model used by
the air force and navy—to O’Neill
from Hansen field at Bedford,
Mass. They had left Bedford on
Friday, July 24, stopping at Syra
cuse, N.Y., Battle Creek, Mich.,
and Des Moines, la., on their
hopscotch transcontinental trip
to O’Neill—traveling about two
thousand miles.
The craft reached O’Neill at
6:10 p.m., on Monday, July 27.
Captain Johnson, a veteran fight
er pilot who had also received
numerous decorations for ’copter
rescue work on the Korean west
coast, indicated to The Frontier
that all was not well with the
machine and that he had requisi
tioned a new blade. (Main mech
anism was a three-blade variable
pitch rotor.)
On Wednesday, July 29, Cap
tain Johnson and Sergeant Ide
“revved up” the plane and the
pilot lifted the four-wheel land
ing gear several feet off the
ground.
On that fateful Thursday
morning, about 9 o'clock. Cap
tain Johnson and Doctor Loe
ser made a test flight. Ground
observers said the 'copter was
put through its paces and its
reactions and maneuverability
appeared to be normal.
Apparently it was then the de
cision was made to make the test
flight with six persons aboard.
Loeser, Johnson, Gasque and Ide
made up the complement for test
purposes, and Eddy and Mapes,
nonflying personel, were mem
bers of the ’copter’s ground main
tenance crew.
The ’copter worked its way to
about four thousand feet and a
rack of 12 smoke bombs was
dropped. This is procedure that
had been rehearsed earlier at
Cape Cod, Mass., and was to be
followed here in connection with
the wind research.
During this flight the ’copter
had been seen over O’Neill and
its functioning was considered
normal.
Finally, tne Dig crait Degan ns
descent. Normal procedure from
that altitude is to circle about
twice and land on the third
round. When the ’copter gets
down to within several hundred
feet of the ground, the pilot
“guns” the rotor and the plane
“meshes” or eases to the ground.
When the rotor acceleration
set-in, witnesses said, the blade
fell off and became entangled in
the rear stabilizing propellor
(vertical). From that point —
about one hundred feet in the air
—the disintegration began and
the main fuselage, housing the
personnel, controls and engine,
plunged straight downward with
terrific impact.
Because the landing and tak
ing off of any type of an air
(Continued on page 6)