The Charlotte News
Thursday, December 4, 1958
THREE EDITORIALS
Site Ed. Note: The front page reports from Huntsville, Ala., that a scientist had written in Space Journal that the Soviet Union was reported to be very close to launching a rocket to orbit around the moon and take movies and television pictures. The probe would weigh between 110 and 220 pounds. In February, 1957, a Soviet scientist had outlined such a plan, calling it "cosmic boomerang", according to Ronald Wakeford, director of research at the National Research and Development Corp. in Atlanta. He said: "It is believed that this project has been actively pursued since its inception and that it is currently approaching the hardware stage." Space Journal was the magazine of the Rocket City Astronomical Association, organized by scientists at Redstone Arsenal with Dr. Wernher von Braun as one of its leaders. Reports suggested that the Soviet moon probe would be radio-tele-directed from earth, relaying moon pictures back. Mr. Wakeford indicated that the Russians were particularly interested in learning whether the moon had earthquakes, why some moon craters seemed to appear and disappear, and the meaning of some white clouds which appeared to be found in certain areas of the moon. A Soviet astronomer recently had said that he had taken photographs of apparent volcanic action on the moon. The Soviets were proceeding with guided missiles and it was assumed that they had rockets capable of reaching the moon, according to Mr. Wakeford. He said, "They have constructed, and have launched, and have in production, every type of missile that is known from underwater-to-surface through the missile spectrum to surface-to-surface." Soviet launching sites for ICBM's with a 5,000-mile range and IRBM's with a 1,500-mile range, had been pinpointed and ballistic flights of their major weapons apparently had been tracked by radar from Turkey. The U.S. Army was expected to launch another rocket for the moon during the upcoming weekend.
In Berlin, it was reported that West German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer had told West Berliners this date to keep their nerve and pledged that the Western allies would overcome the Soviet threat to the isolated city.
In Taipei, Formosa, Communist Chinese batteries across from the offshore islands had been silent again this date, it being an even-numbered day on which the Communist Chinese had voluntarily pledged not to conduct shelling to enable resupply of the islands by the Nationalists. The Nationalist Defense Ministry said that the Communists had fired 515 shells at the Quemoys the previous day.
In Helsinki, Finland, Prime Minister August Fagerholm had resigned this date as a result of worsening relations with the Soviet Union, leaving the country without a government.
In Jerusalem, it was reported that Israel and Syria had swapped charges this date regarding an hour-long artillery duel during which six or more Israeli villages had come under heavy fire.
In Paris, it was reported that the free-swinging weekly newspaper, L'Express, had been seized by police and had failed to appear on newsstands this date because of an attack on the Algerian record of Information Minister Jacques Soustelle.
In Malibu Beach, Calif., it was reported that the huge brush fire which had swept through the hills behind the beach colony appeared to be burning itself out this date after three days. Firemen were in control of more than half of its 37-mile perimeter and had hopes of completely subduing the fire sometime this date or Friday. Pockets of flame in the deep canyons were still offering stiff resistance and officials said that rising winds could set the whole front ablaze again. In its eight-mile rush across the hills to the seashore, the fire had charred 18,000 acres, destroyed 29 homes, amid other damage. One undaunted resident, who had lost one home to fire in the canyon in 1935 and another home on Wednesday, said: "We'll stay. We'll rebuild. The neighbors will help. We don't want to move away." Another man had saved his home with water from his own well and survived a perilous ring of fire, giving his five cows the credit, saying that he had let them graze around the place and they had eaten out a firebreak. "The cows and the geese and the ducks and the goat just got in the middle where I was and stood there and we all made it okay." Two boys, ages 13 and nine, had led their horses from their home in the danger area and tethered them to a lamppost in the parking lot of a supermarket near the movie colony.
Donald MacDonald of The News reports that the Charlotte Coliseum had hosted ice-skating parties for an entire school for the first time. The Herbert Spaugh Junior High School, a pioneer in the plan, had rented the Coliseum the previous day for a special fee of $100, and 200 students had skated for 2 1/2 hours with the Coliseum all their own. The cost was only half that which they would normally have paid for ice-skating at regular Coliseum prices. The school had tried the plan twice the previous year, but at that time, ice-skating was relatively new to the city and not many of the students had mastered the sport. The principal said that this time the rink was pretty well filled and there were very few spills. He said that he thought that they could make Life Magazine, as it was pretty unusual for Southern schools to be staging ice skating parties.
Julian Scheer of The News reports from Zebulon that Mrs. E. C. Daniel, mother of E. C. Daniel, Jr., who had married former President and Mrs. Truman's daughter Margaret in 1956, had sworn that she was not excited about the prospect of a visit from the former President and former First Lady Bess Truman, scheduled to arrive in the afternoon for a two-night visit with the in-laws. Mrs. Daniel said, "Shucks, he's the easiest person in the world to get along with." She said that the excitement she experienced surrounded getting her Wednesday afternoon bridge club invited to a reception and making sure that no one got mad if they were left off the list. Even if she was not excited about the prospect of the visit, Mr. Scheer found the rest of the town to be, as large banners were hanging across the main street and signs in every store window proclaimed the visit, indicating, "Zebulon Voted Harry Truman in 1948, Margaret in 1956". The town of 1,600 had received a lot of publicity during the previous two years since the marriage and the Mayor guessed that some 5,000 people would be present during the afternoon. The entourage, which would include Governor Luther Hodges, would be greeted at the city limits and escorted through town, with Mr. Truman being asked to say a few words. They would then spend the night at the Daniel home, which during the morning was filled with odors of roasting turkey. Mrs. Daniel said she was not fixing anything special, that they had been to the Truman home in Independence, Mo., and had eaten with them in New York, and she knew that Mr. Truman would eat anything. She said they were having turkey and country ham this night and the following morning would serve scrambled eggs and Zebulon sausage. The Daniels would entertain at a reception this night, but most of their personal conversations would undoubtedly center on their 18-month old grandson, Clifton Truman Daniel. Mr. Daniel said that he usually called him Mr. Truman, but now that he had a grandson, he sometimes called him Grandpa Truman. He said he did not know why everyone should be too excited. "He's just a gentleman, that's all."
On an inside page, a piece relates
of a new favorite topic in newspapers in the state, Tom Dula, given
that he had been popularized of late by a Kingston Trio song in which
the spelling of his last name was changed to "Dooley", the piece in
question asking whether he was a war hero or a killer. Some people in Iredell County wanted to bury the dude in Love Valley because he was a lover. That's a good idea. Bury the dude
Even when the case was contemporary, it was notorious, having been broadcast far and wide, causing the community to be branded in Australia, for instance, once the penal colony of the British Empire, as "licentious", making it questionable whether, 90 years later, they really wanted to dig up the dude and elevate him, whether a lover of renown or not, to any exalted status based solely on the current popularity of a resurrected old song
As we have fallen behind, there will be no further comment on the front page or editorial page of this date, as the comments will be sporadic until we catch up.
Meanwhile, out in California, Sr.
Rico
Framed Edition
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