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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 14, 1977)
The Battalion Vol. 71 No. 16 Pages 10 Wednesday, September 14, 1977 College Station, Texas News Dept. 845-2611 Business Dept. 845-2611 Flood hits Missouri; leaves 18 dead United Press International NSAS CITY, Mo. — Flash flooding powerful, surging crests of water up 20 feet high in some areas brought and uncounted millions of dollars of (ruction to the metropolitan area day night and yesterday morning, ing power failures and gas-fed ex- lions and fire. [ain totaling more than 16 inches in a our period caused at least 18 deaths in ^Kansas City area’s worst disaster since aw enforcement officers and rescue mteers continued to search for more films yesterday. Residents who had *n driven from their homes — including many who had to be rescued by boat from roof tops of houses and marooned cars — filtered back to mud-covered houses, but many still were surrounded by water. Between eight and 16 inches of rain were reported from various parts of the metropolitan area in the past two days, turning normally placid creeks and riv ers that wind through residential areas into roaring torrents. The Kansas River was out of its banks but expected to crest at 3.5 feet above flood stage of 23 feet late yesterday. The Big Blue River crested about 17 feet above flood level at noon at U.S. 50, in eastern Kansas City near circumferential In terstate 435. The Missouri River, often called the “Big Muddy,” was expected to crest at three feet above flood level at the Hanni bal Bridge in Kansas City. One of the hardest hit areas was the pres tigious Country Club Plaza shopping and entertainment center, located 50 blocks south of downtown. Officials were hesitant to estimate damage to the Plaza or to resi dences and businesses in outlying areas, but Police Maj. Richard Fletch said the Plaza damage was extensive. “I’m certain it will take days and even weeks to get the Plaza back to any degree of normalcy, ” he said. “In the 16 years I’ve been with the department. I’ve never ex perienced a natural disaster that compares with this in the devastation and lives lost.” Kansas City City Manager Robert Kipp said that requests for federal disaster aid had been forwarded to President Carter through Missouri Gov. Joseph P. Teas- dale, who was touring the damaged areas yesterday afternoon. “We’ve been assured that there isn’t any question but what they’ll respond,” Kipp said. “We have indicated that our very first estimate of damage to public facilities is in the range of $4 million to $7 million. We frankly try to make the estimate on the lower side. “No one has, or could have, an estimate on private property damage,” Kipp said. “There just wouldn’t be any way yet. It’ll be in the millions, but....” Private damage is expected to be many times the public damage but it was un known whether it would compare to the $1 billion price tag placed on the damage from the 1951 flood of the Kansas and Missouri Rivers. “I was around in the 1951 flood, but it was different. Those were major rivers,” Kipp said. “This is a flash flood. But defi nitely, for its nature, this is surely as se vere as the other.” The severe thunderstorms that caused the flash flooding began about 7:30 p.m. Monday, which along with late Sunday rains dumped 16.5 inches of rain on Inde pendence. The rains caused the waters of the Little Blue to back up around the General Motors plant at Leeds and the Armco Steel plant. The water knocked out electric power for 25,000 customers of Kansas City Power & Light Co., but 9,000 had been restored by 10 a.m. KCP&L spokesman estimated that 11,000 more would have power by midnight, with the remaining 5,000 to re gain power by Wednesday evening. One volunteer rescue worker, 23-year- old truck driver Bob Bauer, said his crew had trouble evacuating some people from houses surrounded by water. In darkness caused by a power blackout, marooned residents of the area called out to the res-- cuers in the black night. Recreation center provides food, shelter for refugees United Press International KANSAS CITY, Mo. — About 125 persons, driven from their homes yesterday by floodwaters, trudged into the Blue Valley Recreation Center in search of dry clothes, hot food and sympathetic volunteers who would listen to hear their stories of dashed dreams and losses. “All we could do was try to make it so they could come in and get warm and get some sandwiches and coffee and use a phone to find some place to go,” said Wilma Gardner, who lives next door to the center and opened it to the victims at 2 a.m. yes terday. “We just tried to calm them down,” she said. “If they couldn’t find relatives or friends we got the Salvation Army to try to locate temporary shelter.” Many of the saddened victims braved still-high water levels to return to their homes on the east side of the city by nightfall. Most of the Blue Valley center refugees came from a mobile home park and a neighborhood nestled in a curve of the flooded Big Blue River. “I heard most of them saying they were inundated and that they’ve lost everything and they didn’t have any flood insur ance,” Mrs. Gardner said. “Basically they had all been evacuated by boat and walked the rest of the way out on foot. “We had two young families come in — one with a 2 1 A- week-old baby and the other with a 2-month-old baby that had been born prematurely and was on a special formula,” she said. A nurse on duty at the center persuaded a local drugstore to donate a supply of the formula ingredients. Others were quick to donate clothing and food for the refugees. For Mary Ann Harrod, 40, the confusion of the disaster was compounded when she thought she had lost her job because she couldn’t get to work. She escaped her flooded home with her husband and children and a few articles of clothing. “They just told me I didn’t need to worry about my job any more,” she said, standing barefoot and shivering, wrapped in a blanket, in ankle-deep water. “I told them we was all flooded out down here. I didn’t know people could be so heartless. I got no where to go. What can I do?” But a spokesman at the Plastic Sales Co. insisted Mrs. Har- - rod was confused and had not been fired over the telephone. See related stories, page 9 Bravenec favors building of sewer line to North gate Professor Peter J. Zweig of the College of Archi tecture and Environmental Design stands before k ever so humble a full-sized model designed from a soap film. Bubble home designed or Sale: One soap bubble home. Three room, den, kitchen and bath. Must see ippreciate. Will talk price, ds such as this might appear sometime [the future, since a Texas A&M Univer- architect has huilt a full-sized model of f oap bubble to use as a model for low- fi t housing. fThe model is on display next to the igford Architecture Building. Prof. Peter J. Zweig and a team of re searchers in the College of Architecture and Environmental Design have copied the soap film’s design to produce a struc ture that uses a minimum of building sur face to enclose a maximum of living space. The structure is one possible solution for low-cost modular housing. It can be put up rapidly by inexperienced labor with a minimum amount of building materials. Researchers have noticed that a soap film clinging to a frame will form a surface Donald Morris: ‘Africa's problems evade Americans' By JOHNNIE HENDON United Nations ambassador An drew Young views South Africa much like the public viewed south ern Louisiana during the 1930s, said Donald Morris Tuesday night. Morris, a news analyst for the Houston Post, gave a speech entitled “America: What Lies Ahead in Africa?” to an audience at Rudder Tower. Morris’ speech was spon- I sored by Political Forum. South Africans think of them selves as the white tribe of Africa, and of blacks as the interlopers, Morris said. Dutch colonists settled the Cape Colony in 1650, and started considering themselves Af rikaners by about 1660. Most of the area’s blacks arrived much later. Morris said democracy now exists in South Africa for the white minor ity, and that the United States is try ing to tell South Africans how to run their country. Morris, who was an agent for the Central Intelligence Agency for 17 years, said the Soviet Union consid ers Africa a seaport. He added that the United States should take a simi lar view of Africa. Africans have political problems that evade most Americans, he said. The newspaper columnist said that some African governments are run hy “clowns” such as Idi Amin, and some by ethnically-based politi- j| cal parties. ^1 Morris said the African tribal con- 14 cept is also difficult for Americans to ; understand, because the American I black is as much a child of Western B culture as the American white. Morris Young African nations also face in terference from the Soviet Union, he said. The Soviets take political advantage of the feudal system that functions in Africa, by providing strong leaders for small geographic- areas. When people become loyal to the leaders, the result is further di vision of the country. If Americans are poorly informed on African matters, inadequate press coverage is to blame, he said. The Associated Press has only five correspondents in Africa, and Morris said the reporters will write about anything in order to turn their required number of stories. Morris said Americans need to realize that Africa is no better nor worse than other countries—just different. of the smallest possible area in nearly every circumstance. By building a frame that could be used for a house and producing a soap film on it, they let nature present them with the most efficient design. “This design could be to the 20th Cen tury man what the post and beam was to the Greeks and the arch to the Romans, Zweig said. “The search for alternative forms and structures in architecture is one that will ultimately fashion the styles of civiliza tions,” Zweig said. College Station Mayor Lorence Bravenec said Tuesday he would rather the city build a sewer line to the Northgate area than de-annex the land to Bryan. Bravenec’s remarks came; in response to discussion by the Bryan City Council Monday concerning the possibility of an nexing the area north of the Texas A&M campus if the City of College Station were unable to supply adequate sewage trans mission facilities to the neighborhood. The City of Bryan had agreed that after 1979 the city would not supply sewer serv ice to College Station, with the exception of the use of the Northgate line owned by Biyan and shared by both cities. Bryan of ficials also agreed to terminate that serv ice. Bryan city councilmen Monday dis cussed the possibility that College Station might save money by foregoing construc tion of its own sewer service in the area and instead de-annexing the land, making it available to Bryan. But Bravenec said Tuesday he would be unwilling to give up Northgate and lose zoning jurisdiction over the area. He said College Station regulations on zoning and billboards have served the area well. The mayor said College Station would Lance's overdrafts known at hearing United Press International WASHINGTON — Bert Lance’s over draft problems were known last January but were not conveyed to President Car ter. The Senate committee that confirmed the budget director showed little interest in documentation, officials say. The committee also heard examiners’ critiques of Lance’s performance as a banker. One expressed hope that he would devote himself more to public rela tions than to lending activity. These revelations came before Donald Tarleton, the top federal bank regulator in Atlanta, testified yesterday on his decision to terminate an internal federal banking order that could have hurt Lance’s nomi nation. The order, known only to the bank and the government, dealt with Lance’s overdrafts. White House press secretary Jody Pow ell said Monday that he and two other top aides knew in January that Lance and his family overdrew by $450,000 their ac counts at the Calhoun First National Bank in Georgia but had not told Carter. Robert Bloom told the Senate Gov ernmental Affairs Committee at the same time that it had never expressed any inter est in background information on Lance. Bloom, a 16-year career bank regulator, was acting comptroller of currency when Lance was nominated last Dec. 3 and con firmed Jan. 18. “To this day,” said Bloom, “I have not received a single call from a member of this committee or a member of the staff. ” Ribicoff read to the committee excerpts from reports filed in 1975 by examiners in the comptroller of the currency’s office. The reports were based on studies of Lance’s activities heading two Georgia banks. One described Lance as a “very weak administrator and executive officer (who) in his own way succumbs to outside pres sures regarding the abandonment of sound banking procedures and practices.” The report also said the “age and size of the overdrafts (by the Lance family) is ap palling.” Another examiner called the Lance fam ily overdraft privileges “outrageous.” An examiner who checked on Lance’s activites when he headed the National Bank of Georgia in Atlanta offered another critical assessment: “He is outwardly well regarded ... and highly respected for his considerable in fluence in Georgia business and policies. His banking experience, however, has been limited ... Mr. Lance is not consid ered a capable lending oflicer, and will hopefully limit his efforts more to business development and public relations functions.” Sen. Charles Percy, the committee’s ranking Republican, said there was the “appearance of a coverup” of Lance’s prob lems before confirmation. He said it was Bloom’s duty to volunteer the information. Bloom said he raised “red flags” to warn the committee and believed he had ful filled his obligation. be able to build its own sewer line to Northgate with funds from a recent bond issue. He added, however, that sharing the sewer service with Bryan would work to the benefit of both cities. Bravenec said College Station would be willing to give Bryan money to expand its sewage plant in return for sharing sewer lines. However, Bryan City Manager Lou Odle said Tuesday the Bryan council had decided there was no adequate reason for sharing the lines. Odle noted that the line serving the Northgate area will need to lx? replaced soon. One estimate at the Bryan council meeting Monday put the cost of College Station servicing the area at $1 million. Odle said Bryan’s interest in the annexa tion of the Northgate area “is just an idea we intend to explore. He stressed that the city’s study of the matter is only in the “embryonic stage. He said he hadn’t re ceived any comments about the suggestion from College Station officials. So recent is the idea that College Sta tion City Manager North Bardell had not received notice of the annexation discus sion from Bryan as of Tuesday. College Station councilman Anne Ha- zen, who learned of the annexation discus sion by newspaper, said she would like the opinions of residents in the Northgate area concerning the matter. She concurred with Bravenec s sugges tion of continuing joint sewer line trans mission, citing governmental financial benefits. She said the federal government would be more inclined to allocate funds to cities in cooperation with each other. f ■> Aeronautics Board proposes routes United Press International WASHINGTON —The Civil Aeronautics Board has proposed 13 cities as new U.S. airline “gateways” for flights to Europe and has picked Delta Air Lines and Northwest Airlines as new transatlantic carriers. If approved by President Carter, the decision would open new nonstop routes from northern states to Scandanavia; from the South to Paris; and from Texas and the Midwest to London. The tentative route assignment, reached Monday, was the second major CAB action on transatlantic air service in less than a week. The board Friday approved a $2.56 round-trip standby fare between New York and London. In the route decision, the CAB rejected Justice Department ideas for promoting more low-fare competition and assigned routes only to major U.S. airlines. It said the assignments will remain in effect for either three or five years, letting the CAB staff decide which duration would be best. Justice officials had proposed awarding the routes on a one-year basis and, to keep major airlines from driving low-fare carriers out of the market, had called for giving one of America’s two New York-London routes to a scheduled airline offering nothing but low fares. The CAB called that im practical. U.S. transatlantic carriers under the new plan would be Pan American World Airways, Trans World Airlines, National Airlines — all of which now fly the Atlantic — plus Northwest and Delta. The board’s route proposal would extend gateway status to 11 airports serving 13 cities. Delta could provide flights between London and Atlanta, one of the new gateways. The board rejected an Eastern Airlines bid for the Atlanta route. Northwest could serve a pair of new gateway cities — Minneapolis and St. Paul, which use a common airport — on a route linking Seattle with Glas gow, Scotland, and with Norway, Denmark, Sweden and Finland. Pan American could fly between London and the new gateways of Dallas and Fort Worth, which use a common airport. It also could offer one-stop flights from Houston to London and, under a new U.S.British air pact, could upgrade Houston to gateway status with nonstop flights to London after three years. The board rejected a Braniff International bid for the Texas routes. TWA could fly nonstop between London and the new gateways of Cleve land, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, Denver, Kansas City and Minneapolis-St. Paul. National could fly between Paris and the new gateways of New Orleans and Tampa. The board also renewed National’s temporary authority to fly between Miami and Paris and said it will ask Carter to make that authority permanent. Most of the gateway selections paralleled those made in July, 1976, but rejected by Gerald Ford on grounds the U.S.-British air agreement had not yet been settled. Inclusion of Minneapolis-St. Paul on the Northwest route and the plan to allow National flights from New Orleans and Tampa to Paris were new.
