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Newspaper
Decatur Daily
Location
Decatur, Alabama, United States of America
Date
Jan 25, 1940
Page
1
Forecasts call for zero to eight above tonight with a return of four to ten above tomorrow. Temperature earlier reached 18 degrees at 11 AM as a cold front eases. Traffic rises slightly, schools report higher attendance, coal deliveries arrive, roads remain slick in the Decatur area.
Right below zero weather froze two traffic lights at downtown Kansas City intersections during rush hour causing mainly one way traffic. Drivers exchanged sharp words as others navigated the stuck signals in the freezing morning.
Snow melt from sunshine helped roads by Thursday night while scrapers worked on major highways. County and city schools reported higher attendance with 84 percent of normal in high schools and 71 percent in higher elementary grades, but negro schools remained at 38 percent due to influenza.
A new snow storm blanketed parts of North Alabama with fresh flakes as the state patrol reported arterial highways open. Schools closed for the week affecting about 300 000 children across a 30 000 square mile area. Bitter cold set in with lows 4 to 10 degrees in the north and 12 to 18 in the south. Traffic officials praised driver cooperation while transportation facilities slowly returned to normal amid continued snow cover.
Lieut Col Jiro Saito said he received Nanking information about a Chinese plot to attack the US gunboat Luzon guarding Ambassador Nelson T Johnson. The plan aimed to blame Japan and worsen Japan US relations as the trade treaty expired tomorrow.
William E. Borah, longtime United States Senator from Idaho, died in Washington after a cerebral hemorrhage. His funeral train was met by thousands in Boise, where the casket was moved to the state capitol rotunda as Gov. C. A. Bottolfsen called for prayers for the senator's recovery amid the strong show of public grief.
News from the warfront highlights include Germany renaming the pocket battleship Deutschland to Luetzow and plans to reuse the old name for a larger ship. The French vessel Forfait is in distress in the western Mediterranean as four more neutral ships are sunk. Finland reports tension near Lake Ladoga with Russian divisions trapped and starving while Western Front chatter notes quiet on the main fronts.
In Genoa Italian line officials ruled the loss due to a left motor mechanical accident. The South America bound Orazio sailed from Genoa with 643 aboard, 44 passengers and 60 crew unaccounted after the blaze. Property loss estimated at 42,000,000 lire about 2.1 million dollars.
The House approved a 58 502 600 deficiency appropriation to fund naval armament and tax refunds while delaying the 1 032 000 000 treasury post office bill. The measure passed by voice vote with 29 000 000 for armor plating and 29 300 000 for the internal revenue bureau refunds. Rep Woodrum urged urgency for refunds, and Rep Taber warned Navy funds for new vessels would run out by February 10. Ohio loses federal reimbursement for old age assistance, and Roosevelt veto override failed by party lines.
Decatur plans a cheese plant to serve farmers within 30 miles with a new market for farm products. $8,400 subscribed and $7,700 paid, aiming for $10,000 capital before incorporation. A Friday meeting will report progress as milk supply surveys begin to map potential routes and availability.
Theodore Bennett, 34, earned one of 16 bronze Carnegie hero medals for catching a falling steeplejack, saving Charles Von Gossett 75, after a 55 foot drop at Mobile Alabama. Bennett was disabled for 10 weeks with a dislocated hip. Other awards noted rescues from drowning gas fire trains and even a shark attack across 11 states. A dramatic scene also honored crossing watchman John L. Kroll who saved seven year old Raymond J. Allen from an oncoming freight train at Niagara Falls.
Miss Virginia Prince Calvin was confined to bed Thursday at her home after a Tuesday night collision on Ferry Street near Lythe 600 block. She suffered cuts to the head and other injuries, initially thought minor but later deemed more severe.
Mrs. James Cora McCormack 64 longtime Decatur resident died at 7 p m Wednesday at her home 808 Grant Street after a long illness Funeral services will be at 2 p m Friday at Brown s Chapel Ferry Street with Lindsay Allen of Grant Street Church of Christ officiating Burial will be in Poplar Creek Cemetery Limestone County directed by Brown She is survived by husband J D McCormack a daughter Mrs C T Dudley two sisters Mrs Lillie B Brown and Mrs Frank J Dodd both of Decatur two brothers A B Hughes Elkmont W A Hughes New Hope two grandchildren Mrs J Rex Goode and Miss Cora Dudley one great grandchild four nieces five nephews and several others Born in Limestone County she lived in Decatur many years and previously ran a mercantile business with her husband.
The Moulton Heights Austinville and Pleasant Hill schools will stay closed due to extreme weather and will not resume until Monday. Principals Boyd Puryear H Lee man Murphree and officials announced the delay.
Washington reports Senate action on expanding the Export-Import Bank capital faces opposition from Senator Bankhead who warns increasing lending could back foreign governments. He notes a possible $20 million Finland loan and broader risks to Sweden Norway and Latin America.
Members of the 102nd Engineers Company in Guntersville Camp report good health and ample food and fuel supplies despite sub freezing temperatures and heavy snow. The Decatur unit traveled by private cars and trucks with tents and equipment, pitched 26 perimeter tents, and endured a storm that began Monday night and eased by Wednesday.
Helsinki dispatch says Soviet attacks northeast of Lake Ladoga and shelling of Viipuri faced strong Finnish resistance. Communique notes three Soviet tanks destroyed near Kolima and in Petsamo, with several attacks repulsed, but air activity limited by snow.
The Tennessee river gauge stood at 17 feet and was flat. Temperatures ranged from a high of 29 to a low of 12 with a trace of snow reported. Alabama saw partly cloudy to cloudy skies with cooler conditions from 4 to 10 degrees in the north and 12 to 18 in the southern interior and about 13 along the coast. Friday brings continued cold with fair weather in Tennessee and snow possible across the west, followed by rising temperatures Saturday. Moderate northerly winds affected the coast.
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