THE PLAIN DEALER . SUNDAY, JANUARY 31, 1999 5-D OURCENTURY 1952

ATA GLANCE Prisoners issue in Korea; River burns again; solutions few labor relations poor By Fred McGunagle The Korean War had settled into a “The oil-laden surface of the Cuya- stalemate, but sol- hoga River swept through the ship- diers still were being yard of the Great Lakes Towing Co. at killed in fights over 201 Jefferson Ave. yesterday after- meaningless hills noon, disabled the Jefferson Ave. and ridges. At Pan- Bridge and caused damage variously munjom, truce talks estimated at $500,000 to $1.5 mil- also were stale- lion,” said the Nov. 2 Plain Dealer. mated, with the same The fire destroyed three tugs in points made over dry-dock. Fourteen fire companies, a and over. fireboat and a rescue squad battled to save the buildings. “Firemen were The biggest issue hindered by the river blaze, which was prisoners of formed a crescent around the war. The U.N. forces crowded buildings of the yard,” the Kuekes held 169,000 prison- newspaper reported.” Only a miracle ers, many of them kept that fire from becoming a major South Koreans conflagration,” Bernard Mulcahy, forced into the North Korean Army. The North chief of the Fire Department’s Fire held 88,000 South Koreans and 11,500 Ameri- Prevention Bureau, said afterward. cans, many being subjected to Communist “If it had spread below the bridge, we “brainwashing.” would have lost control.” On the home front, labor relations were Police halted auto traffic on Broad- stalemated.AWhite Sewing Machine Corp. way. “If the fire had spread with strike lasted 22 weeks. A meatcutters strike Broadway full of automobiles, we closed meat outlets for nine days. Interunion could never have cleared it in time,” disputes took 25,000 construction workers off said Lt. Vincent Spisak of the police the job. Sixteen thousand briefly struck traffic bureau. Bell Telephone Co.A 55-day national steel It was the third serious river fire in strike led to government seizure of Republic four years and the worst in more than Steel Corp. 30 years.A 1914 blaze had threatened With teenagers dying for their country, downtown until a providential shift in there was a push for a lower voting age. The the wind halted its northward march. Plain Dealer’s Ed Kuekes won a Pulitzer Prize Airborne sparks from that fire caused with a Nov. 9 editorial cartoon, but it took an- numerous house fires as far away as other 19 years to win passage of the 26th E. 40th St.A river fire that spread to a PLAIN DEALER FILE Amendment. shipyard in 1918 took seven lives. “We have photographs that show The Cuyahoga burns in 1952, as a fireboat valiantly tries to douse the flames. • nearly 6 inches of oil on the river,” The Barons finished second in the Western Mulcahy said. “Our reports show the that there is no satisfactory method of Mayor Thomas Burke eliminate the down and see me any time — I’m Division and lost to the Providence Reds in the oil there comes from three sources: removing the oil once it has reached hazards. “We expect the administra- ready,” he said. “In the past we have opening round of the playoffs. But oil brought down Kingsbury Run, the river. The only solution is to pre- tion to do something about taking the not had the cooperation of industry.” then came the break hockey fans from the Standard Oil Co. and from vent it from entering the river.” lead in this problem,” said Vice Presi- had been waiting for — or so they thought. Great Lakes Towing itself. The fire brought a demand from dent Oliver Reynolds. McGunagle is a Cleveland free- On May 14, owners “We are forced to the conclusion the Chamber of Commerce that Burke bristled: “Let ’em come lance writer. voted to admit the Barons, assuming the team met financial conditions. On July 2, General Manager Jim Hendy, confident he had met all the conditions, awaited formal approval. In- stead, the expansion was defeated by a tie vote of the six owners. The official reason was that part of the team’s working capital was borrowed money, though that had not been mentioned as a bar in Crowds cheer Ike the May conditions. In “Forgotten Glory, the Story of Cleveland Barons Hockey,” Gene Kic- zek says the owners still were miffed that Al Republican nominee welcomes Nixon to ticket Sutphin had turned down their offer of an NHL franchise in 1949. By Fred McGunagle The main reason, though, was James D. Nor- ris, who owned the and was It was one of the most dramatic the landlord of the and moments in American political his- the . His influence over the tory, and Clevelanders gave Dwight latter two earned the NHL the nickname “the Eisenhower a lot of help in making up Norris House League.” Had Cleveland entered his mind — in fact, a lot more than he the league, the balance would have shifted. wanted. Toronto, Montreal and Boston voted to admit the Barons. The Republican candidate for pres- A team called the Cleveland Barons would ident was scheduled to speak at Pub- play in the NHL in 1976-77 and 1977-78, but lic Hall the evening of Sept. 23. He the Barons who had won the hearts of Cleve- whistlestopped his way that day from landers remained a minor-league team. Cincinnati with Sens. Robert A. Taft • and John Bricker, making a half- dozen short speeches from the rear of Never did the Indians follow Hank Green- his train. He arrived just in time to berg’s formula of pitching and the long ball watch a television program. better than in 1952. Though Bob Feller had his first losing season, going 9-13, Early Wynn It was vice presidential nominee won 23 games and Bob Lemon and Mike Gar- Richard Nixon, defending himself cia won 22 each. Larry Doby hit 32 home runs against charges he had been given an PLAIN DEALER to lead the league. Luke Easter and Al Rosen $18,000 “slush fund” by supporters were close behind at 31 and 28, respectively. and should be kicked off the ticket. Second Lt. John J. Kuchirchek, of E. On Sept. 11, the Yankees came to town tied Ike was mad: It came out later that 112th St. in Cleveland, met with with the Indians for first place. Before 73,609 Nixon had infuriated him by demand- Dwight Eisenhower during the fans, a Major League season high, the Yan- ing (with undeleted expletives) a de- presidential candidate’s stop in kees’ Eddie Lopat defeated the Indians 7-1, cision immediately after the speech. and the Yankees went on to take the pennant town. Kuchirchek served as by two games over the Tribe. Eisenhower watched Nixon’s speech photographer at Eisenhower’s The end of the season brought out a rift in the Public Hall manager’s office SHAPE headquarters in Paris in among the team’s owners. They voted out Ellis while an SRO crowd of 18,000 1951. Ryan as president and replaced him with watched in the auditorium. Myron “Mike” Wilson Jr. On the air, Nixon produced an audit myself, believe this man is the kind of • from Price Waterhouse & Co. certify- man that America would like for its vice president?” The crowd let him ing that all of the $18,000 had been PLAIN DEALER FILE The Browns had the poorest record in their spent for legal political purposes. know unmistakably what it thought. seven-year history, 8-4, but they backed into Then he bared his finances — his lack Dwight Eisenhower makes his way to Public Hall. their seventh straight conference title when The speech was not televised na- of stocks and bonds, his $41,000 the Philadelphia Eagles lost their final game. tionally, but Ike’s advisers were so house with a $20,000 mortgage, his iel: “Our little girl, the 6-year-old, Eisenhower dashed off a telegram The Browns lost the title game to the Detroit pleased that they scheduled it for na- $3,500 loan from his parents, his 1950 named it Checkers and, you know, the telling Nixon he admired his courage Lions, 17-7, with Howard “Hopalong” Cassa- tional broadcast the following night. dy’s 67-yard touchdown run the big play for Oldsmobile. kids, like all kids, love the dog and I but wanted to meet him the next day By then, Republican National Head- the Lions. just want to say this right now, that in Wheeling, W.Va., before making a He jolted Eisenhower when he quarters had received more than regardless of what they say about it, decision. Then he walked out among called on Gov. Adlai Stevenson and 30,000 telegrams. When Nixon got off • we’re going to keep it.” 18,000 Republicans cheering for Sen. John Sparkman, the Democratic the plane in Wheeling, Eisenhower, In later years, it would be remembered nos- When the speech ended, the Repub- Nixon. candidates, to bare their own fi- though still seething inside, told him, talgically as “the Golden Age of Television.” licans in the hall chanted, “We want Among the stars: Jackie Gleason, Sid Caesar, nances. In his biography “Eisen- Throwing away a prepared speech “You’re my boy!” hower,” Stephen Ambrose revealed Dick!” When county Republican George Burns and Gracie Allen, Red Buttons, Chairman George Bender asked, about inflation, Eisenhower spoke Milton Berle, Ernie Kovacs and, most memo- Eisenhower knew he would have to without notes. He praised Nixon’s For better or worse, Richard Nixon do the same and he feared disclosure “Are you in favor of Sen. Nixon con- had secured his place as a national rably, Lucille Ball in “I Love Lucy.” Among tinuing as a candidate?” They loosed courage, saying, “I would rather have other shows: “Mr. Peepers” with Wally Cox, of gifts from his supporters. figure. what The Plain Dealer called “an out- a courageous man by my side than a “Our Miss Brooks” with Eve Arden, “Toast of Nixon did own up to accepting one burst of assent.” Bender repeated the whole boxcar full of pussyfooters.” McGunagle is a Cleveland free-lance the Town” with emcee Ed Sullivan, “Dragnet” gift — a black and white Cocker span- question and got a louder roar. He said his decision rested on “Do I, writer. with Jack Webb, “My Little Margie” with Gale Storm, “My Friend Irma” with Marie Wilson, “Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet,” “The Life of Riley” with William Bendix and both “Ar- LOOKINGATAYEAR thur Godfrey’s Talent Scouts” and “Arthur Godfrey and His Friends.” • Feb. 8: Elizabeth II becomes queen declares unconstitutional Truman’s round knockout of Jersey Joe Wal- Dec. 15: George Jorgenson re- In the year’s most sensational crime, Law- of England following the death of her seizure of the nation’s steel mills dur- cott. ceives a much-publicized sex change rence Goldsby went berserk and killed Pa- father, King George VI. ing a strike by steelworkers. operation, becoming Christine Jor- Nov. 5: Eisenhower is elected pres- genson. trolman Eugene Stinchcomb and three others April 15: President Harry Truman July 12: Republicans nominate war ident in a landslide victory over Dem- on a bus at Euclid Ave. and E. 105th St. He was signs the peace treaty officially end- hero Dwight D. Eisenhower for presi- ocrat Adlai Stevenson. In Massachu- Born: Robin Williams, Anjelica sentenced to life in prison. ing World War II with Japan, giving dent and California Congressman setts, 35-year-old John F. Kennedy is Houston George Ross, who had been captured after a the Japanese government full sover- Richard Nixon as his running mate. elected to the U.S. Senate. nationwide manhunt, was executed for the eignty. Died: Argentinian Evita Peron, 1951 murder of Patrolman Forney Haas. Sept. 23: Rocky Marciano becomes Dec. 10: Albert Schweitzer wins the American labor leaders Philip Mur- June 2: The U.S. Supreme Court heavyweight champion with a 13th- Nobel Peace Prize. ray and William Green.