06 May 1955
Page 1
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This newspaper page contains 18 articles. Subscribers can read the full text of each article.
Newspaper
Decatur Daily
Location
Decatur, Alabama, United States of America
Date
May 06, 1955
Page
1
A fragmentary note highlights community activity and shared spaces shaping neighborhood life. It references residents and local groups engaging in events, projects, and dialogue about future plans within the area.
North Alabama brine No. 7 hosts a regular meeting tonight at 30 at the Decatur Masonic Temple. Decatur Moose Lodge women plan an evening of games at the Moose Home on Moulton Street. Rev Otis E Kirby discusses What My Church Means To Me at Union Grove Methodist Church Saturday at 7. He preaches Sunday at Cambridge Methodist 11 am on A Child’s Birthright. Evening sermon at Neel Methodist Church 7 30 pm on A Nation’s First Line Defence. Diary on Page 2.
Surgeon General Leonard Scheele announced a temporary halt in the release of further polio vaccine doses. He noted confidence in the product but said government clearance would pause until a medical conference issued new recommendations. The Public Health Service may require its own safety checks before continuing.
The CIO United Auto Workers proposes 500 million in reserve funds to finance a guaranteed annual wage at Ford and GM. Funds would be built from 4 percent of base payroll over five years, with 125 million for Ford and 335 million for GM. Walter Reuther unveiled the plan publicly, while Ford and GM offered no comment.
Gilbert G. McCracken was sentenced to five years in the state penitentiary by Circuit Judge Newton B. Powell in Athens. Probation was denied despite good record and supporting statements. McCracken pleaded guilty to embezzling 13,609 dollars one month earlier.
The Daily Office features Bonanzagram puzzle No 9 where Mr. Johnston deciphers his secretary’s note through wordplay and nursery business hints. The column explains the hidden design and hints at a potential prize of 125 dollars for an exact match, with new puzzle No 10 on page 8 and a possible 150 dollar redemption if no one wins.
A Senate filibuster aimed at blocking elections for three state boards broke out but ended when the vote was called off. The showdown occurred as lawmakers weighed bills affecting the state building commission, the legislative reference service, and the examiners of accounts. The session also saw proposed school spending, a move on the right to work law, and measures to preserve segregation in schools.
Washington action returns to strict price supports after a near party line vote. The House approved scrapping the prior flexible system by 206 to 201, with 185 Democrats and 21 Republicans backing the measure and 29 Democrats siding with the administration. Page 2 continues.
The river tug Seneca sank in the Tennessee River at Sheffield Alabama after hitting a rock while towing a gravel barge for Arrow Transportation Co. The eight crew members escaped unharmed as the boat went down near the municipal dock. the gravel barge was recovered undamaged. The Seneca was owned by the Vicksburg Towing Co. in Mississippi.
A desert town tests survival in an atomic blast as 15 members of the Darling family perish in a brick and block home on Doomsday Drive. The blast—equivalent to 35 000 tons of TNT—destroyed surrounding houses, while a one-story masonry home with a shelter withstood the shock, illustrating the role of shelter type in survivability.
Violence halted talks on a rail settlement as strikes roiled the region. In Tennessee a Louisville and Nashville worker, 32 year old Charles E. Wright, was slain near Mt. Pleasant during a confrontation. A second striker was seriously wounded in Kentucky.
Washington reports say striking unions in the Louisville and Nashville Railroad withdraw their offer to arbitrate the 54 day dispute after a striker was shot. George Leighty, union negotiating chairman, said on a 80 station radio broadcast the union seeks a negotiated settlement. He called the shooting near Mount Pleasant Tennessee of 33 year old Charles Wright the saddest day of the strike.
County officers said a Nash map connected to a violence case in Tennessee and involving Lee was being reviewed. The brief notes no arrests yet and cites official sources.
Notes found with the bodies of E. H. Crum and Mrs. W. F. Martin indicate Crum killed the woman and then himself. Relatives say the notes were in Crum’s handwriting. A pistol linked to Crum was found near the victims and the baby sitter discovered Connie Martin uninjured beside the mother.
Circuit Judge Robert Giles signaled possible relaxation of an injunction restricting picketing by Louisville and Nashville Railroad workers. At the hearing the union sought dissolution, with Giles asking for fairness and adequate representation. over 100 affidavits were submitted from both sides.
Western states faced varying preparations after a false yellow alert cast worry across the region. Olympia officials traced the misfire to McChord Air Force Base and noted the warning was not relayed, while California observers received a delayed notice prompting further checks.
The district recorded two fatal crashes, raising year to date deaths to 11. John Nelms, 12, of Decatur, died after a bicycle collision on Old Moulton Road. Charles Langley, 35, of Decatur, died when his car collided with a truck eight miles east of Courtland on Highway 20. Three others injured, including Fred Sitason, 60, Horace Knight, 41, and Frank Shackler. Police note the truck was on the wrong side of the road. no charges reported.
The Tennessee River at Keller Memorial Bridge stood at 21.73 feet this morning, down 0.04 feet in 24 hours, with a sea level reading of 556.03 feet. At 8 a.m. the temperature was 75 degrees and the forecast calls for cloudy conditions.
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