November 29, 2002

OROVILLE MERCURY January 30, February 1, 2 and 5, 1945

Tin Salvage Filling Down
With salvaging of tin cans falling down at the source, school children were able to collect only 4317 pounds of tin cans in the drive just completed. While admitting that many unprocessed tin cans were found by the children at the city dumps, and that this indicated the housewives weren't unanimous in the work, Clarence A. ling said that possibly some of the difficulty lay with the children themselves, due to pressure of school work and the fact that they had been working hard on the fat and paper salvage drives. In May of last year the children conducted a similar tin drive and collected 7605 pounds. Eastside School reported the largest collection, having 1775 pounds. Prizes were given to the boy and girl bringing in the most. Bobby Milligan of the 4h grade won the boys' award with 312 and Marlene Salzman, 3rd grade, won the girls with 108 pounds. Richard Turner made honorable mention with 114 pounds. The room award went to the 4th grade. Bird Street school collected 1742 pounds and Burbank with its more thinly populated district netted 800 pounds. R. A. Williams is chairman of the salvage committee, W. L. Chandler of the paper salvage committee and Pete Powers, manager of the meat department at Kilpatric's, has accepted the chairmanship of the fat salvage committee. Another drive for these needed articles will be put on in the spring and the children hope the housewives will have a large amount saved for them.

In The Fight
GRIDLEY MAN FLIES AS GUNNER ON CARRIER PLANE UNITED STATES THIRD FLEET
Tarence W. Mathews, Aviation Ordinanceman Second Class U.S.N.R. of Gridley, Calif, flew as a gunner aboard a carrier-based torpedo plane in recent strikes against the Philippines by Admiral William F. Halsey's hard-hitting Third Fleet. Mathews' squadron flew Avengers, which can attack with bombs, rockets or.50 caliber machine guns as well as torpedoes.

SIDNEY WILLIAMS WOUNDED; AT FIRST HE WAS MISSING
Word has been received by Mr. and Mrs. E.E. Bell that Pfc, Sidney W. Williams has been wounded in action. Williams is the son of C. J. Williams, a retired Western Pacific Railroad conductor now living in San Francisco, and made his home with the Bells on Mitchell Ave. several years while he was going to Oroville High School. He enlisted in the army before war was declared and at the end of his enlistment went to work for the Western Pacific in San Francisco. He re-enlisted about two years ago and is now with the 420 Infantry. While fighting in Germany, his feet were frost bitten and he wrote that he was hospitalized in Paris but expected to return to active duty soon. Soon after that, friends received word that he was missing in action but a cable followed stating that he was wounded and in a hospital.

DARYL PORTER HOME WITH NEW RATING
Lt. Daryl Porter, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Porter of Veatch Street, is home on leave. He is in the air corps, classified as a navigator, and recently graduated at Monroe, La. He has been in the army a little over a year. He will return to Monroe in about a week.

As we now know Lt. Porter did not return from the war. This was probably his last time to walk the streets of Oroville. Stu.