Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1955-08-28

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weeks, or even months away
Perhaps never. A string Of brass
companies across New England
said they can't yet tell when
they'll run again.
'They stated they won't know
the damage to min equipment
until they finish digging out from
under the mud and SILT" q Cop
per and Brass Association spokes-
man said.
Besides the factory employ
ment casualties, there was nc
reckoning the smashing impact
on small business-storekeep
garages, restaurants and other
owner-run shops. Many wo;a>l
have to start from scratch, OF
quit.
1--WE started out with nothing
once" said a Southbridge. Mass.
footwear merchant. his stock
ruined. 1--WE can do it again."
Most shaken were the economic
foundations Of Connecticut anc
Massachusetts. and their sprawl
ling network of textile. metal
rubber and tool mills. Halted OF
suspended operations left $4,000
still out of work.
France Flying In Wool
| French textile makers are fly
ing in 10000 pounds of wooden
goods this week end from Paris
to take up production gaps.
Industry in Northeastern
Pennsylvania also was frayed,
with $4,000 idled. Even til
States big-steel empire was jolt
Jed. and warned customers Of de-
livery delays-to divert output to
emergency uses.
Generally, the attitude seemed
to be to stick it through. Despite
fears that some companies
might move elsewhere, not one
has indicated 1t will do so, and
several said bluntly they won't.
The U. S. Rubber Co.. with
several plants in Rhode Island
and Connecticut racked by dam
ages estimated at SO million,
"is giving no thought to closing
any. new plants" a spokesman
said.
Good progress" he added. is
being made in getting them back
in production.
To buttress the regions shud-
Idering and weakened economy,
the Federal Government was
lfunnelling in its legally pre-
scribed utmost in aid-"every-
thing that is possible" as Pres
ident Eisenhower put it.
The Scope Of U. S. Aid
This included:
One hundred million dollars In
outright grants to restore roads,
schools, bridges, sewage and
water systems and other public
properties.
Disaster loans to farmers,
home owners and small bus
Iinesses at long term. 3 per cent
rates. as
Contingency grants to states
to meet d rush in Unemployment
payments.
Offers Of surplus food, live
stock feed; troops to guard un-
linhabitable remnants of towns;
engineers to shore up dangerous
structures and supervise rebuild
ing. medical experts to check
food and water supplies.
But even with all this. coupled
with state measures, the eco
lnomic strain was heavy, the
handicaps great. Industry will
have to bear its own burden of
repair" a number of Pennsyl-
vania businessmen said.
Government aid may be too
little and too late to do much
good" seemed to be the con-
IsenSus.
Railroad Damage Surveyed
Railroads were mangled in
spots along the Lehigh Valley;
the Erie, the Reading, the
Pennsylvania and the Lacka-
wanna, with washouts up to 15C
feet deep, and tracks sagging.
| The New Haven Railroad esti-
mated 80 per cent of it's lines
affected. and had 5000 men at
work on repsirs-with weeks
needed to get it done. 1t esti-
mated $40 million in damages.
! The New York Central said il
will take month to restore serv-
ice between Pittsfield and Wor-
chester, Mass.
The scrambled rail traffic, plus
other factors, hampered mail
service. scores Of postal vehicles
and three whole post offices-in
Woonsocket, r. l.. Upper Black
Eddy, Pa. and Rochdale, Mass
were gone.
Thousands of private cars and
trucks were lost, battered OF
filled with mud and rocks. Auto
mobile experts said the mud
packed cars weren't worth trying
to get fixed-sell them for sal
wage.
Most industrial building, home
and other losses weren't insured
because Of the high premiums
for such coverage. 1t was a mat
tier of taking the setback, and
tackling the whole thing over
again.
State-by-State Summary
Here is a State by State sum-
mary of conditions:
CONNECTICUT
| With 81 dead, SO missing. and