davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1945-05-25

Is Searched,
Takes Poison
CAPTURED MONDAY
Foreign Minister Left At
Large Among Top
Ranking Criminals

LONDON, May 24-WD-Hang.
man Heinrich Himmler, chief o.
the dread German Gestapo and
symbol of all that was bestial IN
Nazism, committed suicide by poi
son last night, stripped naked but
for his socks, in a villa at Luene-
berg in northwestern Germany. He
took the lethal dose even as a Brit
ish army doctor was searching him
for the poison.
Himmler had been captured Mon
day, in disguise, by two British
guards at Bremarvoerde. He was
taken to British army headquar-
tiers, at Lueneburg, wearing his I'M
derwear and socks and with blan-
ket wrapped about him, and con-
fined in villa.
The doctor was searching Him.
mler infinitely. He put two fingers
in Himmler's mouth. Himnler bit
down on the doctors fingers and
the tiny blue phial Of cyanide OF
potassium he was trying to con-
ceal' in his mouth. .-
Fifteen minutes later, Himmler
was dead. His body lay today on
the floor Of the room in which he
died, half covered by the blanket
given him after his clothes were
taken away.
1 The death of German war crimi-
hal No.. 2-second only to Adolf
rHitler-left only Joachim Won Rib
bentrop, Nazi foreign minister, at
large among the top ranking Nazis,
assuming that Hitler and Paul
Joseph Goebbels are dead.
The British Tommies who cap
tured Himmler were checking pa
pers of civilians at a bridge when
Himmler and two "adjutants"-
really his acknowledgement.
HimInler was disguised and was
using the name Of Hitzinger, dis
patches said. He was wearing pearl
colored horn-rimmed eyeglasses in
stead of his usual nose glasses.
He had shaved off his little mus
tache and wore black patch over
one eye.
Apparently Himmler since his ar
rest had concealed in his mouth
when others were around, a tiny
phial of cyanide of potassium.
Hirnmler was taken to Luene.
burg. southeast of Hamburg. and
held at villa in greatest secrecy
dispatches said. :.
Last night, it was said, physl'
clan examined Himmler and ask
ed him to open his mouth.
The doctor wanted to be sure
Himmler had no poison. He look
ed into Himmler's mouth and an
peared to be satisfied, dispatches
said. But on second thought ne
asked Himmler to get nearer a
light. The doctor put his finger
in Himmler's mouth to make a
closer examination. Himmler jerk
ed back his head. bit on the phlal.
dropped to the floor and died !"
minutes later at 11:04 pm. despite
the doctors efforts to save him. II
was said.
Today Himmler's body lay on
the floor of the villa, at British
End Army headquarters at Luene-
berg, half covered by a blanket
according to dispatches.
Sgt.-Maj. Edward ! Austin saw
Himmler die. He told his story to
a BIC correspondent:
Before / arrived l didn't know
it was Himmler. was told only
that l was to guard an important
Quisling. He came into the room
not the arrogant figure we all
used to know. He wore an army
shirt and a pair of dr.: 'ers and
had blanket wrapped around him.
I recognized him Immediately. /
pointed to a couch and said in
German:
That's your bed. Get on it,
Continued on Page Two; Col. s.
The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1945-05-25
BY GERTRUDE CARRAWAY
(Star-News CorreSpOndent)

NEW BERN, May "a. - DR..
Thomas Henry Wright, native of
Wilmington, and former eastern
North Carolina rector, at present
rector of st. Marks church in San
Antonio, Texas, was today unani-
mously elected the fourth bishop
of the Episcopal diocese of East
Carolina. DR.. Wright will succeed
the Rt. Rev. Thomas c. Darst, Of
Wilmington, who resigned May l
because of ill health. Bishop Darst
will continue to serve temporarily
as acting Bishop.
The name of DR.. Wright was
The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1945-05-25
DR.. Tom Wright Named Episcopal Bishop

gree in 1926 and from the Virginia
Theological Seminary with a
Bachelor Of Divinity degree four
years later. Ten years afterward,
the degree of Doctor Of Divinity
was conferred upon him by Wash
ington and Lee university.
After being ordained an Episco-
pal minister in 1929, he held his
first charge at Lumberton and Red
Springs. For two years, he was
Episcopal chaplain at~the Univer-
sity of North Carolina, later be-
coming travelling secretary for the
national council of the church and
Continued on Page Three; Col. u
The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1945-05-25
Tokyo Burns
After
BIG Attack
NEW RAID REPORTED
Fliers Say Flames Lick
Through japanese War
Factories

GUAM, FrlQay, May a.
Flames swept the ShinagaWa IN
.dustrial area of Tokyo hours after
the biggest Superfortress raid in
history - more than $50 planes
showered 9,OOO,OO0 pounds OF In.
cendiary bombs on the Nipponese
capital yesterday.
Japanese imperial headquarters.
never prone to give an expansive
report ION aerial raid damage to
the homeland, said that five and
one-half hours after the big planes
struck the city at 1870 am d2:30
pm. Wednesday, U. S. Eastern
War Time), almost all fires
were extinguished.
Tokyo radio broadcast also an
nconfirmed report that around
100 American carrier planes raid
ed Nipponese airfields on the south
ernmost home island of Kyushu.
Domei, Japanese news agency.
said the attack lasted about two
hours and inflicted relatively
light damage"
The Superfortress \ squadrons
smashed Tokyo under full moon,
dumping their loads on a concen-
trated area of Japan's precision
instrument and machine tool in.
dustry.
Returning Tiers said the flames
licked through factories and water
front rail yards which handle one
third of Japan's rail traffic, and
the fires were visible 200 miles
away.
Japanese headquarters reported
only "some 250'' B-29s made the
attack and while emitting men
ton of damage to industrial plants
said an arbor in the imperial pal
ace was hit and IAN abishment'
inside the Akasaka palace grounds
was destroyed.
The Nipponese communique also
made the unconfirpned claim thai
~ Superforts were shot down and
80 more heavily damaged.
High winds helped spread the
flames over the target area, re.
turning fliers said, consuming
flimsy home-shops surrounding the
big plants. Vivid flashes indicat.
ed that stores of explosives were
destroyed.
Brig. Gen. Thomas S. Powers
commander of the Superfortresses
on Guam, held his early comment
on raid results to very good
pending receipt of further informa.
ton to be supplied by reconnais
sance photos.
The latest Superfortress blow al
Tokyo was five times heavier thar
the first strike delivered agains,
the city by Marianas-based B-29.
just six months ago. when Iii
planes made the 3OOO-mile roune
trip.
Some Yank hiers said they me-
no fighter opposition over Tokyo
but others reported meeting some
planes which, however, were re
luctant to accept battle. Antiair.
craft fire was heavy but inaccu
rate, they said.
Maj. Luther A. Jones, Monroe
La, told how eight japanese fight.
er planes trailed his B-29, one Of
them coming in within $50 yards
but all Withholding their fire.
The fliers said the binding pro.
fusion OF searchlights was more
harasslng that Japanese ack-ack
Some OF them thought the fire.
pals thrown at the American
planes might have been robot
bombs.
The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1945-05-25

NEW YORK, May "a R -
American Communists, who dis
banded as political party a year
ago, are making "a most careful
inventory of their position and
may resume direct political ac-
tivity.
This was disclosed today by Earl
Browder, president of the Com
munist Political Association, who
urged "most respectful considera-
The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1945-05-25
WEATHER

Eastern Standard Time)
NJ. Wy U. S. Weather Bureau)
endirs eorological data for the "a hours
;So pm, yesterday.
ia, Temperature
7 Fan IA. am 50; 7:3O am, is; 1880 pm, IS;
Normssil ~ 81; Minimum 50; Mean 10;
1.ao Humidity
$50 80, ma am, Is! "a; 7:so am, So; / 80 pm, %;
TO-, Precipitation
"eo inches. -'0oiS ending '''o pm
III inches. e ii's' Oh the month
fEro.. Tides For Today
from n the Tide Tables published bv
ana Geodetlc Survey.
Rilmjng+o. High Low
" -------------- 8:43a 1855
Masonhoro 49,. 9:15p 3:48r
Inlet ---------- 6:26a 12:37s
Sunris. ,.o.. 7:08p 1881
Pm; Me0nset. Az am. -'ee
The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1945-05-25

hell of a long time" he said.
Red Cross canteen workers
were the center of attention for
the debarking men. Shrin whistles
echoed along the piers when they
caught sight of American women.
The battle veterans include men
home for rotation furloughs, troops
awaiting reassignments to the
The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1945-05-25

Continued. on Page Nine; Col. g.
The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1945-05-25

n,r,,v cloudy and slightly warmer
today. Gentle to moderate n0r'ner'S
winds. - .on,rerat,,res.
Hieh 82-Low 50.
The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1945-05-25

Continued on Page Two; Col. y
Evening star., 1945-06-17

into operation. Massive turrets and
guns were torn off ships decks to
tighten them. Then, as the vessels be-
gan to rise slowly in the water, new
horrors confronted the salvage gangs.
Lethal gas generated within the ships
from decaying vegetable and organic
matter had been absorbed by water
within the compartmented ships. AS
the compartments were opened, the
pressure was released and the gas
poured out.
One officer and eight men died OF 1t
and many were hospitalized before
emergency steps could be devised to test
compartments before opening them.
ut was a hellish STENCIL said the
admiral, "and the broiling tropical sun
made it worse. 1t was also treacherous
stuff. When you could smell 1t you
were safe. But in concentrated form
it seemed to have the ability to anes-
thetize the nasal nerves and men
dropped quickly"
While all this was going on, the sur
face oil was the biggest, most persistent
headache. Thousands of tons Of fuel
had been released by the sinking ships
and, since there is little tidal rise and
fall in narrow mouthed Pearl Harbor,
it stayed there.
1t emulsified with the surface sea
water and made heavy viscous layer,
one and half to. two inches thick,
loaded down with harbor and salvage
debris.
Every time drydock was opened. the
filth swilled in and seeped into dam
aged ships, coated the side walls of dry
docks and everything in them.
Evening star., 1945-06-17

sane are put into special quarters. Peo-
pie with contagious diseases are isolated.
Diplomats must have accommodations
according to their rank.
All nationalities receive the same
treatment. The company carried huge
stores OF rice, fish and chicken for the
Japanese, then discovered that most OF
them preferred American food.
The 553-foot Gripsholm was built at
Newcastle -on-Tyne, England, in 1924
and she was the first Diesel-engined
passenger liner in Transatlantic trade.
She was called "the smokeless ship" and
her cruising speed was II knots-slow
compared to present-day superliners.
She was named for Gripsholm Castle,
home of the Swedish kings, and made
her maiden voyage to America In Au-
gust 1925. After that she became we'll
known in the tourist trade between the
United States, Sweden, Russia, Norway
and South America.
Her early career was marked by the
rescue of fishing boat crew in 1881 and
a dining room fire in 1896. In 1888 she
carried the Swedish royal family from
America to Sweden.
The outbreak of the war caught the
Gripsholm idling in Sweden. The United
States State Department announced in
April, 1942,, that she had been char
tered to exchange service with Japan,
and neutral Switzerland was called
upon to arrange for the exchange. 1t
was a slow job with the japanese Stub
born and seemingly suspicious, but the
Gripsholm finally sailed June Is, 1912.
bound for Lourenco Marques, Portuguese
Evening star., 1945-06-17
BY John A. Moroso, Sd,
Associated Press Stan writer.

East Africa, with 1000 Japanese and
Thai nationals aboard. Homesick and
Hungry Americans were scheduled to
leave Japan and the Philippines on the
Asama Maru and the Italian liner Conte
Verde about the same time.
At Rio De Janeiro the Gripsholm
picked up 383 more japanese, then
headed around the Horn and arrived at
Lourenco Marques July 81. American
export line agents had reached that
steaming port ahead of time and they
rushed through the exchange with a
minimum OF trouble.
The Watch For Spies
En- route home, e6 South Americans
were dropped at Rio before the ship
reached Jersey City August Is with l,453
Americans. These miserable people
many of them penniless-wildly cheered
the Statue of Liberty before disembark-
ing with 5000 pieces of baggage that
had to be minutely examined by Gus
toms guards.
On this trip the FBI had required
passengers to fill out questionnaires at
Lourenco and Rio and these were flown
to Washington. When the ship reached
New York. 400 special agents boarded
her with 3,400 written reports on the
background Of the passengers.
America was taking no chance on
spies flltering into the country under
the cloak of refugee :. favorite Nazi
trick.
The Gripsholm then laid up in the
Hudson River while diplomats arranged
for another exchange. Not until more
Evening star., 1945-06-17

BY Arlene Wolf,
Associated Press stan Writer.
The atmosphere starts right at the
entrance, where you walk through a
real picket gate (the turnstile where
you plank down your cents admission
and cents tax is off to one side where
it doesn't spoil the effect). At the gate,
you can arm yourself, for 2 cents more,
with tiny farm dictionary that defines
everything from bull" to whoa" in
simple city talk.
Then you're ready to walk up wind
ing road past the dark red chicken
house to the barn and barnyard, where
a donkey, mare, colt, goats, pigs and
couple of hundred chickens and ducks
live happily, completely unaffected by
all the company.
Setting up farm for urbanites to OBJ
serve wasn't just, simple matter Of
finding some acreage. and borrowing
enough livestock to make 1t look real,
istic. Zoo authorities understood that
many small things common to farm folk
would be outlandish to New Workers. 30
Evening star., 1945-06-17
$4,000 Miles Across WarTo Torn Seas on Ship OF Mercy

than a year later, September 2, 1S43.
did she leave New York for Mormugao,
Portuguese Indian port, with l346
worshippers of Hirohito. She also car-
ried a huge cargo of food packages,
medicines, clothing and vitamin pills
for those still interned in Japan. At
Rio she picked up e5 Japs and at Nom
tevideo she took on "a.
japanese Exchange
The Teia Maru, meanwhile. left Japan
with 1,500 American and Chileans. An
American baby was born aboard as the
ship sailed through waters watched by
Allied submarines. The exchange went
off at Mormugao without trouble and
the Gripsholm came back to New York
December l with 1928 Americans, 2l7
Canadians and some South Americans
a total of 1,494 passengers. On this
27528-mile trip two persons died and
one marriage took place.
Since that Mormugao exchange this
Gripsholms plyings have been between
America and Europe She made four
round trips prior to We day, to Lisbon,
Barcelona, Gothenburg, Sweden, and
Marseilles, the last one ending in Feb
ruary, 1945.
These voyages added 34,374 miles to
her log. She returned 1913 Europeans.
mostly Germans, to their homelands
and brought 3.sl5 passengers out Of
Europe. Many of these were wounded
or i'll soldiers.
The closest call she ever had came
from an American submarine which
sighted her through its periscope. The
American lads were preparing to fire
torpedoes when the sub skipper identi-
fed the Gripsholm.
Evening star., 1945-06-17

Outside in the basin the stuff clogged
sea suctions and interferred with all
underwater repair work.
To meet the situation in the docks,
Gillette's men rounded up all the old
steam boilers they could and, lined
the docks with steam and water pipe
and mixers and pumped scalding hot
salt water taken from below to the
surface onto the docks and ships with
in them.
This, however, was purely a stop-gap.
The great sea of oil remained outside
and every opening of the gates ad-
mitted more Of it. The yard devised
and manufactured denim coveralls to
help protect the workmen. Every night
the workmen stripped of these bags
Evening star., 1945-06-17

and a feet Of trucks carted them away
to a Communicated laundry. The oil
was corrosive, too, and it ate away the
workers shoes with startling rapidity
and produced serious skin irritations.
Gillette's men tried spraying the oil
blanket with sand, hoping that its weight
would sink the oil. This idea had to be
abandoned when the sunken mixture
gummed up ships condensers and other
sea suculons.
Oil "Sweepers"
Finally hit upon was what came to
be known as Juicy boats'-gas engine
driven scows equipped with broad SKIM
mers at the bow which swept up the oil.
AS the oil was gathered IN. Dig rotary
sweepers propelled 1t over screens. which
Evening star., 1945-06-17

NEW YORK.-How are you gonna
keep 'em down in the city, after they've
seen the farm?
That's a problem in New York these
warm days, now that the farm in the
Bronx Zoo is open again for inspection.
Every week, thousands of city folk
are disgorged from subways, buses and
trolley cars, packed into a hay wagon
taxi, and jounced to the farm -in-th-zoo
probably New York's only farm.
They stare at Nelson Miller, 57-year-
old farmer who lives on the premises,
ply the two hired men with elementary
queries on livestock and poultry, and
explain to unbelieving offspring that
that four-footed animal called a cow is
where the milk really comes from.
Real Farm Atmosphere
Although it's only five acres the zoos
farm is completely authentic, even to
the farmhouse bell, which is rung only
In time of fire, flood, or other disaster.
Actually Miller probably would reach
for phone-but it's the atmosphere
that counts.
Evening star., 1945-06-17

and we're salvaged, too, but the real
story is the story of the battleships.
Even while the battle ragged, the yard
ordered it's civilian employees to duty
and tore into the business of clearing
out the ships in the drydocks and those
awaiting light repairs. That gave the
Navy a nucleus of fleet.
First came work on the Pennsylvania,
which had been caught while In drydock
for minor repairs a thousand
other jobs were pressed simultaneously
Here was lucky break, If anything
connected with Pearl Harbor could be
called lucky. The Pennsylvania was
aft in her dock, on the harbor end, and
the destroyers, Cassin and Downes,
berthed with her, were forward, near
est land.
Had their positions been reversed, the
drydock would have been blocked hope
lessly by the wreckage of the destroyers:
The Cassin, with more than ITO pune
lures in her hull, was blown off her
blocks on top of the Downes, which had
more than $50 jagged holes in her, plus
hit that detonated four torpedo war
heads.
Repaired in IL DAYS
AS it was. the Pennsylvania was re-
paired completely in II days and moved
out, permitting utilization OF the dock
by other capital ships.
Within two weeks, as matter Of fact,
the Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Ten
nesee all were at sea again.
More slowly were the Nevada. the
California and the West Virginia re-
stored to fighting trim-one of these
had taken six torpedo hits. Thou
sands of workers toiled day and night
to fabricate elaborately calculated
patches to seal up their holes These
patches, built to measurements made
under water and constructed of concrete
or impregnated canvas mounted on steel
and wood frames, had to fit exactly
when towed into place. And they had
to last until the ship was drydocked and
permanent patches could be made.
The job of unwatering the ships was
tremendous in itself. Great pumps
were rushed from the mainland and put
Evening star., 1945-06-17

been told and retold The story of how
Americans worked in the days that fol-
lowed is equally heroic.
1t largely is the story of Rear Admiral
(then captain) Claude Sexton Gillette,
one of the most experienced naval
engineers in the service. Now naval
supervisor of shipbuilding at the Elec-
trio Boat Co. in Groton, Conn, he then
was boss of the Industrial Department of
the Pearl Harbor base, post he had
held since 1939
When Gillette went to Pearl Harbor
the base was little more than a way
station for the fleet, then based prin-
cipally at San Pedro, Calf. 1t employed
about 1900 civilian workers-half the
average in continental Navy yards 1t
had one large craving dry dock that
never had overhauled a capital ship, and
one small marine railway, plus some
fairly we'll equipped shops and cranes.
AS Congress made funds available,
Gillette moved quickly to put them to
use; stepped up his working forces
rapidly. Two more capital ship dry
OOCkS WGI6 SOGttIl way oll1i IA
ther dry docks and marine railway facil-
tiles were planned, and a big structural
steel show was built.
In addition. a 17,OOo-t ton floating dry
dock was hauled all the way from New
Orleans.
Reconstruction Problem
Gillette recalls December 7, 194l, and
the days which followed in terms of
complex and heart-breaking engineering
and reconstruction problems; but, above
all, in terms of huge sea of fuel oil
that soaked everything and would not
dissipate, and of ghastly smells that
pervaded the air for miles around.
The battleships sunk were the Cali
fornia, Oklahoma, West Virginia and
Arizona, and the Utah, once battle
ship but no longer active. Damaged
severely was the Nevada which escaped
from the inner of two lines of ships
along the Ford Island quay only to go
aground. Damaged slightly were the
Maryland, Tennessee, and Pennsyl-
vania. All but the Arizona and Utah
were salvaged.
Other ships were battered that day
Evening star., 1945-06-17

the harbor debris, while per-
mitting the oil to filter into troughs
from which 1t eventually was carried
into vacuum tanks and later discharged
to tanks on shore.
Interestingly enough, said the admiral,
the oil now proved beneficial: 1t was
used to drench down newly constructed
air strips.
Time and again Gillette paused in his
narrative to pay tribute to the naval
and civilian forces under his command
and to speak warmly Of their courage
and zeal.
He praised particularly the personnel
Of the Pacific Bridge Co., which had
large crew of underwater experts en-
gagged in the drydock construction.
Without their subsequent aid, Gillette
said, "it would have been wholly i'm
possible to handle successfully salvage
Job OF the magnitude wnlcn CONFRONTED
The yard on December g."
Twenty.Four Hour Shifts
The way the yard forces worked is
story in itself. For the first few days
practically every one worked around the
clock. Then it was two shifts:
The day shift from daylight to almost
dark; the night shift the rest of the
time. No third shift was possible because
the stringent blackout made it impos-
sible for transportation to move during
the middle of the night.
So hundreds of men literally slept in
on the job, aboard ships, wherever they
could snatch a brief respite.
Feeding them was another problem.
Gillette and his officers rounded up all
the coffee urns they could find to install
in the big repair shops which, it may
now be said, were practically undam-
aged. Coffee and sugar were bought by
the ton. They called upon several hun
dred wives Of naval enlisted men and
until the more formal commissary plan
could be organized. the girls saw to il
that the coffee urns never were empty
and the sandwiches always were plen.
tiful.