Page 2
THE BATTALION
THURSDAY, JAN. 29, 1976
Cause of fire was not 1st concern
By DON MIDDLETON
and
JOHN ADAMS
Battalion Staff Writers
Recall that last week we began
“The Mystery of Burning of Old
Main. Before we tackle the exciting
conclusion, it is neccessary to correct
some minor errors that have little
bearing on the outcome of the case.
However, for the sake of perfection,
the facts should be clarified.
The fire took place on Monday,
not Sunday. Some of you sharper
readers would have noticed that mis
take right away. After all, what good
Aggie would be burning the mid
night oil on a Saturday night?
And secondly, the studious
Cadets, Ashford and Church, lived
in Foster Hall rather than Ross Hall.
Old Main, Ross Hall and Foster
formed a triangle, with Old Main at
the apex pointing toward the
Chemistry Building. The Chemistry
Building stood where the Cushing
Library now stands.
The reflection of the fire in the
Chemistry Building windows could
have conceivably been seen from
either Ross or Foster halls. But it was
from the window of No. 32 Foster
I lull that Ashford spotted the blaze.
Taking up where we left off, on
Tuesday, not Monday, the day after
the fire, we find the Investigating
Committee installed in the Civil En
gineering Building, hearing tes
timony in regards to the time, origin
and nature of the fire.
C. O. Watkins, the second witness
to be called, was questioned primar
ily about the prevalence of gambling
among the students and staff mem
bers. He testified that several times
he had found rooms in the Main
Building in a state of disorder. Once
he had found some candles and a
deck of cards in a dormitory room
during a summer when no students
were at the college.
It might have seemed to an ob
server that the Committee was try
ing to establish the fact that there
had been a card game going in Old
Main the night it burned.
When Clyde Threkel later tes
tified that he had heard the noise of
chairs being shuffled on an upper
floor, it seemed even more likely
that participants in a midnight poker
giune could have accidentally caused
the disaster.
But the possibility was not pur
sued by the Committee. As witness
after witness was questioned as to
the amount of gambling and drinking
that went on among the cadets, it
slowly became clear that the Com
mittee was after something else.
English Professor W.W. Wood
was asked if he had any information
regarding the subject of gambling.
He replied that it had been men
tioned in several assigned compo
sitions dealing with campus life.
“I remember one theme that de
scribed a dice game,” Wood tes
tified, “and another student having
been told to count off in ranks, he
responded Three-Jacks.
Y. M.C.A. Secretary F.D. Steger
was a close friend of many cadets.
They often took him into their confi
dence about personal matters.
Gambling was a subject that was fre
quently discussed by the students
with Steger.
The Investigating Committee
questioned Steger almost viciously
regarding the students who had
talked to him about gambling. Even
tually Steger was persuaded to give
names.
The questioning went on, the fire
never being mentioned. The subject
of drinking and gambling among
members of the faculty was
broached. Steger became hesitant
and apprehensive.
He was criticized by the Commit
tee for not reporting students guilty
of gambling and drinking to the
Commandant or President. He an
swered that he did not wish to violate
the students’ confidence.
He also stated that it was the opin
ion of some students that, “Members
of the Faculty are guilty of the same
thing of which they (the students) are
accused. Further testimony indi
cated there were some ill feelings
between the students and faculty for
some unstated reason.
Steger was dismissed. The hearing
went on.
Witness after witness was called,
and it was eventually established
that the fire began on the fourth
floor. But Ashford and other cadets,
who had made it up to the top floor
before the fire became too danger
ous, insisted that there were three
separate fires with no possible con
nection between them.
Each witness in turn, students and
staff alike were questioned about
their knowledge of gambling and
drinking on campus. The Committee
invariably asked: “Is gambling more
prevalent this year then last? Is
drinking more prevalent this year
than last? Have you heard of anyone
drinking or gambling? Have you
witnessed a card game? Where do
the students get liquor and beer?
Which dormitory has the most
gambling?”
The answers ran like this: “There
is less drinking and gambling this
year than last.”
“There is more. T have heard
that students gamble but have never
seen it. ” “I have suspected that some
of my fellow faculty members drink
but can not say for sure.” “There is
more gambling in Legett than any
other dormitory. “Milner Hall has
more gambling than other dor
mitories.”
On Wednesday, head yell leader
J.E.L. “Lindy Millender was called
to testify. Like the other witnesses,
he was asked, “Is it your impression
that there is more or less drinking
this year than last.
Millender answered, “Taken al
together, 1 don’t think there was, but
within the last week, since all this
investigation by the Discipline
Committee I think there has been a
great deal more.
“In other words, you think it had
not gotten to light before? he was
asked.
“I think so, he replied. “Some
times I drink myself.
Millender was later asked, “What
is your impression of the origin of the
fire?”
“1 think somebody walked up
there and set it afire. Mr. Burleson
accosted a man out here (after the
fire) and talked to him, he gave me a
description of the man and he has
spent this afternoon looking for this
“Witness dismissed.”
Millender was the first to mention
the investigation of students’ drink
ing and gambling habits by the Dis
cipline Committee. He was also the
first student to admit that he himself
drank.
Slowly the cloud of mystery and
uncertainty surrounding the Fire
Committee’s intention began to lift.
On Thursday the Committee called
T.G. Huth to the stand. Huth was
Cadet Colonel of the Regiment.
Cbe Battalion
Opinions expressed in The Battalion are those of the editor or
of the writer of the article and are not necessarily those of the
university administration or the Board of Regents. The Battal
ion is a non-profit, self-supporting enterprise operated.by stu
dents as a university and community newspaper. Editorial
policy is determined by the editor.
Represented nationally by National Educational Advertising Services, Inc., New
York City, Chicago and Los Angeles.
The Battalion, a student newspaper at Texas A&M, is published in College
Station, Texas, daily except Saturday, Sunday, Monday, and holiday periods. Sep-
tember through May, and once a week during summer school.
Mail subscriptions are $16.75 per semester; $33.25 per school year; $35. (K) per full ;
year. All subscriptions subject to 5% sales tax. Advertising rate furnished on request.
Address: The Battalion, Room 217, Services Building, College Station,
Texas 77843.
LETTERS POLICY
Letters to the editor should not exceed 300 words and are
subject to being cut to that length or less if longer. The editorial
staff reserves the right to edit such letters and does not guaran
tee to publish any letter. Each letter must be signed, show the
address of the writer and list a telephone number for verifica
tion.
The Associated Press is entitled exclusively to the use for reproduction of all news
dispatched credited to it or not otherwise credited in the paper and local news of
spontaneous origin published herein. Rights of reproduction of all other matter
herein are also reserved.
Second-Class postage paid at College Station, Texas.
Address correspondence to Listen Up, The Battalion, Room
217, Services Building, College Station, Texas 77843.
Members of the Student Publications Board are: Bob G. Rogers, Chairman: Dr.
Gan- Halter; Dr. John Hanna: Roger P. Miller; Dr. Clinton A. Phillips, Jeff Dunn,
Tom Dawsey and Jerri Ward.
Director of Student Publications: Gael L. Cooper.
MEMBER
The Associated Press, Texas Press Association
Editor James Breedlove
Managing Editor Roxie Hearn
News Editor Pam Whigham
City Editor Jim Peters
Contributing Editors Sandy Russo, Steve Gray
Sports Editor Paul McGrath
UNIVERSITY STUDIOS
SHOOTING SCHEDULE FOR
THE AGGIELAND 76
SENIOR and GRADUATE
MAKEUPS .LAST DATE FOR DEAD ELEPHANTS
IS JANUARY 31
JUNIORS and SOPHOMORES . JAN 19-JAN 23
JAN 26-JAN 30
FEB 2-FEB 6
FEB 9-FEB 13
FEB 16-FEB 20
FEB 23-MAR 12
A-G
H-M
N-R
S-V
W-Z
MAKEUPS FOR
SOPHOMORES AND JUNIORS ONLY
Huth was first asked routine ques
tions conerning the fire, almost as a
formality. Then the committee
turned to the subject which they
seemed to be obsessed with—
drinking and gambling.
They asked Huth the same ques
tions they had asked all the other
witnesses, to which Huth gave the
now standard answers.
Then Capt. Chauncey Fenton
asked Huth, “Do you think there is
any widespread feeling in the corps,
such that any boy or group of boys
would go to the extent of burning a
building on the campus?”
Answer: “No I don’t!”
But the Committee didn’t seem
satisfied with Huth s answer. They
asked the same question of three
other witnesses, including Professor
J. C. Nagle. All answered, “no.”
And even though an instructor
whose classroom was on the fourth
floor, where the fire began, admitted
smoking in an area where the floor
was covered with oiled sawdust, a
smouldering cigarettee butt was
ruled out as the cause of the fire.
To hasten the end of Old Main,
explosives were brought in to topple
its still rigid walls. Numerous
charges were used to no avail. Not to
be defeated, college officials and
cadets rolled up the battalion can
nons in an effort to raze the walls by
concussion.
The hearing of testimony was en
ded. In the report the committee
made to President Milner and the
State of Texas they simply stated that
the fire was “of incendiary origin.”
Faulty wiring was ruled out on the
basis of the testimony given by Pro
fessor of Electrical Engineering F.C.
Bolton.
In arriving at their conclusion, the
committee seemed to ignore tes
timony that Lindy Millender gave in
which he stated that a friend had
seen two obviously drunk men leave
the Old Main Building about 1:30
Out of the slowly growing crowd of
watchers, Lindy Millender emerged
with a lasso. Without waiting for ap
proval he lassoed one of the 60 foot
towers, had the cadets grab the rope
and within minutes they had pulled
the tower down. At commencement
excercises in June, Governor O.B.
Colquitt announced that he had au
thorized $200,000 for the construc
tion of a new main building. The
building, known today as the
Academic Building, was built on the
site of Old Main. Constructed under
the direction of college architect
F.E. Giesecke 86, it was completed
in 1914.
A gasoline can found in the rubble
caused no great concern to the com
mittee and was not mentioned in the
official report.
They also chose to think that the
man who Millender had mentioned
as having been observed loitering
around Legett Hall after the fire
was out, laughing about how pretty it
had been, had no bearing on the pos
sible origin of the fire.
The plans for the new building
called for concrete and steel to add
reinforcement to the massive new
structure. Unfamiliar with these rel
atively new materials, Geiesecke
used double concrete and steel to
insure a sturdy bu ilding.
Upon granting the money to A&M
for construction of the new struc
ture, Colquitt cautioned the admin
istration on their plans: “Build a
building that will last at least 50
years,” he said.
So be it, 62 years young and still
going strong. It was never discov
ered who burned Old Main.
WEIGHT WATCHERS
ANNOUNCES NEW CLASS
Monday 6:30 p.m. Feb. 2nd
A&M Presbyterian Church
301 Church Street — Fellowship Hall
Call 822-7303 for other classes in Area
we’re
tooting
our
horn
- • . for this
great sale!
r &
j*
' A 2 hour program o/yonxiJj
l color & song."-SanFitnitM
PRESENTED BY f' 0 *
TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY <
TOWN HALL (~
UNIVERSITY VARIETY SERIES ^
37
THURSDAY FEBRUARY 5, 1976 8.00 Pip
RUDDER CENTER AUDITORIUM
STUDENT/DATE $3.50 ...
GENERAL PUBLIC $6.00
TICKETS AT MSC BOX OFFICE FIRST FLOOR OF RUDDER TOWEIMK
Houston
Symphon
and
Singing Cade
in
A TAMU Centennial Performer
Mon., Feb. 2 8:00;
Rudder Auditorium
Tickets
Regular — 7.50, 6.20, 4.95
A&M Student- 6.00, 4.95, 3.95
Tickets and Information MSC Box Office — 845-2916
Presented by
UP TO 50% OFF
LADIES’ BLOUSES, DRESSES
AND PANTS.
MEN’S SPORT COATS & PANTS.
TEXA& A&M
In the Memorial Student Center