13 Nov 1940
Page 1
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Newspaper
New Castle News
Location
New Castle, Pennsylvania, United States of America
Date
Nov 13, 1940
Page
1
Investigation into the Eastern Industrial plant blast that killed three at the Burto plant of the American Cyanamid and Chemical Corps continues. FBI probes multiple blast sites, guards tight, coroner plans an inquest to determine the cause.
A quiet spell in New Castle and Lawrence County followed a warm spell as cold air swept in. Temperatures plunged from 70 to 31 degrees in 24 hours, with the day’s high dropping from 68 Monday evening to 36 on Tuesday, while other Great Lakes areas suffered severe storms.
The 24 hour period ending 5 p.m. Tuesday shows a maximum of 68 and a minimum of 36 with 0.2 inches of Peeves precipitation. River stage at 5.1 feet. Year ago on the same date recorded a 50 maximum and 24 minimum with no precipitation.
A sweeping November storm strikes the Great Lakes region with deadly force. Coast guards recover seventeen bodies near Ludington and Pentwater, Mich. Two freighters, the William B. Davock and the Anna Minch, vanish in Lake Michigan with crews of 32 and 20 respectively. Mills and crops suffer extensive ruin as the storm moves toward the Atlantic seaboard.
Pittsburgh authorities faced a puzzling case as chemists found roach powder traces in pancakes tied to the Salvation Army home tragedy but not in the kitchen flour or baking powder cans. The investigation looked for sodium fluoride in leftovers, pancake batter, and flour can contents as plans for further testing continued.
Canton Ohio November 13 firemen blamed over heated oil for an explosion at Canton Refining Co which destroyed an 80000 gallon tank. The blast tore off the tank top and a fierce fire burned until 3:00 a m. Fifteen workers were at the plant but hospitals reported no injuries.
Rome reports editor Virginio Gayda, aligned with Premier Mussolini, stressed that Italy bears the main burden of a naval phase of the war. He warned Italy’s task is difficult given the large British forces in the Mediterranean.
Zurich reports the French fleet has left the Mediterranean and is said to be headed toward French Indo China after a new ultimatum from Thailand Siam. Thailand has pressed territorial demands on Indo China in prior notes.
Federal state and local agents studied wreckage from three powder plant blasts in New Jersey and Pennsylvania to determine if sabotage against defense efforts caused the deaths of 14 and injuries to over twenty. Representative J Parnell Thomas blamed the federal government for coddling subversives as the Dies committee warned of aliens in defense plants. The blasts occurred within an hour of each other two months after the Hercules Powder plant explosion in Kenvil New Jersey that killed 51.
Italian forces backed by artillery and bombing planes launched a heavy new attack to break the Greek hold on Koritza in southern Albania. Greeks reportedly held left and center fronts as earlier Macedonian front assaults were repulsed. Greek air forces again bombed Valona, sinking three Italian cargo ships.
Dover reports a fierce air battle over the southeast coast as British Hurricanes and German Messerschmitts exchanged attacks. Nazi bombers dive bombed a town while anti-aircraft fire rang out. RAF Hurricanes and German fighters clashed with machine-gun fire as reinforcements arrived and combat shifted over the mid channel.
A sharp cold snap hit Pennsylvania as a midwest gale pushed across the Great Lakes bringing 56 mph winds to Erie. Pittsburgh readings hit 3 degrees early today with no snow in the area, and observers expect the cold wave to last for several days.
F B I chiefs ordered agents to accelerate surveys of manufacturing plants with government contracts to boost sabotage protection. Bureau officials said work was already underway but recent disturbances in powder plants and other vital sites prompted a faster effort.
Five year old Rodney Cooper died when his family car collided with a truck on the Mercer Greenville road. His mother Lottie Belle Cooper lost control while attempting to pass the truck. Pauline Cooper, one year old, was bruised but survived. J T Platt led the investigation.
Britain's mighty liner Queen Elizabeth, converted for war, is at sea on a secret mission. Rumors place her bound for Trinidad, Halifax, or Boston, soon armed with anti-aircraft and anti-submarine guns. Her decks will hold 15,000 soldiers, likely from Australia and New Zealand.
W Stephens and G C Davis spoke at The Castleton Hotel outlining a tentative five year plan to improve Lawrence County highways. The plan lists needed projects including route reconstruction and widening, eliminating dangerous crossings at Harlandsburg on Route 108 and grade crossings at Montgomery Avenue and West Pittsburgh, with a by pass from New Wilmington Road south of New Wilmington to the intersection with the New Wilmington Road.
London Nov 13 The fate of five British merchant vessels that eluded a German pocket battleship in mid Atlantic Tuesday remains unknown though naval authorities think they are still at large on the seas bound for British ports. Twenty four other British merchants of a convoy attacked by the German warship reached British harbors yesterday and nine of the convoy were probably sunk by the long range guns. The admiralty said the convoy escaped the guns of the fast pocket battleship Admiral Scharfe of Luelzow as the Jervis Bay engaged the raider.
Two new earthquakes rocked Bucharest causing chaos as sirens wailed and thousands fled into streets and parks. Police restored order while government officials dispatched food, tents, and building materials to devastated areas near the city and surrounding towns.
Henning R Nelson aged about 28 of Lorain Avenue suffered a severe arm injury in a shooting accident between Willow Grove and Wampum Tuesday afternoon about 12 50. Nelson, Briggs, and Richardson WPA workers were in a field when a rabbit crossed the road. Richardson raised his shotgun to fire as Nelson swung to fire and the weapon discharged striking Nelson in the arm leading to amputation at a Wampum hospital.
British Prime Minister Winston Churchill announces a major victory for the Royal Navy against the Italian fleet at Taranto. Seven warships were severely damaged in the attack, a blow that shifts the balance of naval power in the Mediterranean, with cheering reports of crippling damage to Italy’s battleships and carriers. The news, carried to the public as a decisive strike on November 11-12, promises further updates on page two.
Harrisburg officials ordered a probe into a football riot after a Johnstown Altoona interscholastic game. A meeting was set for tomorrow at 2 PM in Johnstown to review the incident. Edouard Wicht will observe, with spectators reportedly rushing the field after a disputed play.
The passage mixes college football and basketball chatter with weather complaints. It mentions Tabor Day, Cupris duras, and Moog, along with vague plans and a rough forecast. The overall tone is frenetic, uncertain, and highly informal.
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