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lIlTilVol. 71 No. 48
12 Pages
Battalion
Inside Today:
Old oil rigger remembers the good
ol’ days, p. 3.
Runner remembers the agony of
victory, p. 7.
Sports editor Paul Arnett remem
bers choking in the clutch, p. 12.
Monday, November 7, 1977
College Station, Texas
News Dept. 845-2611
Business Dept. 845-2611
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l nited Press International
OCCOA, Ga. — Rescuers kept a vigil
the seajjr a leaking 200-gallon propane gas tank
ough Sunday night and said the search
be renewed today for more possible
itims of a ruptured earthen dam that
iwned at least 37 persons in tons of cas-
ng water.
Gov. George Busbee awaited a damage
imatesohe could request federal disas-
aid from President Carter, who re-
ved a first-hand report from his wife,
salynn, on her personal inspection of
scene.
Swelled by five if steady rain, the
ters of 80-acre Kelly Barnes Lake burst
■ough the dam between 1:30 a. m. and 2
EST Sunday, sending tons of red,
tidy water cascading down Toceoa
eek onto the sleeping campus town of
ccoa Falls College.
fhe swirling water, estimated by some
nesses to be 30 feet high, washed into
uses and dormitories and swept away
ilers occupied by married students and
hr families.
. “I just stood there and watched their
owners L i . ■ i " ■ i t-
■ing washed away, said lorn
a student. “They were banging
o each other and being crushed. You
could hear people trapped inside scream
ing."
Nineteen of the victims were children,
in many instances swept from the grasping
hands of their parents.
“I tell you what got me was the kids,
said Busbee, who inspected the area Sun
day. “I saw them bring out three little kids
and a daddy, and I knew the mother was
back up under the debris somewhere.
The pounding water damaged the
emergency valve of a 200-gallon propane
gas tank that served the trailer homes and
gas began leaking from the four-foot high
tank.
A crew of firemen was assigned a con
tinuous vigil over the tank.
“There s no danger as long as people
stay away and nobody lights any matches
or smokes, a spokesman for the Toccoa
Fire Department said early this morning.
“We re just going to let it escape.
Rescuers gave up the search for more
possible victims at dusk Sunday but said it
would resume today. Two persons were
known to be missing and were presumed
drowned.
Mrs. Carter left church services in
Washington and took a presidential jet to
Georgia after she heard the news Sunday
morning.
“It’s an indescribable sight and a terri
ble tragedy, she said after touring the
area in a National Guard helicopter. Greg
Schneiders, the president's projects direc
tor, accompanied Mrs. Carter and re
mained at the scene to work with officials
on recovery efforts.
The first lady returned to Washington
Sunday afternoon to give the President a
personal report on the disaster.
It was the worst U.S. dam disaster since
118 persons died in the 1972 Buffalo Creek
flood in West Virginia.
Col. Frank Walter of the Army Corps of
Engineers said there were two possible
causes for the flooding — a break in the
dam or erosion of the earth at its top. He
said “overtopping of rising waters could
cause the dam to break after the flooding
started.
Thurman Kemp, 40, a student, said the
water “was 30 feet high. It was enormous.
Kemp and his family were swept from
their trailer home and he was separated
from his wife and mother and one of his
two sons. He grabbed the hand of his old
est son, Morgan, 9, and they eventually
scrambled to safety. His wife was rescued
a quarter-mile away and his mother stayed
in the trailer and floated down to a bridge.
His youngest son, Chris, 4, drowned.
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United Press International
Israel and Palestinian guerrillas in
uthern Lebanon fought artillery battles
mday. It was the first major flareup of
Jiting since a U.S.-mediated cease-fire
)k effect in the volatile border region six
eks ago.
The fighting was accompanied by hard
line statements from both Palestinian and
Israeli leaders on Middle East peace ef-
fortsa. PLO chief Yasser Arafat vowed
“fighting until victory.
The fighting began with a rocket attack
early Sunday on the northern Israeli town
Mice searching
or purse snatcher
ive.
:as
30
inly
By LARRY PARKER
A female, approximately 5 feet 7,
idiiim build with blonde or red hair has
len acquiring purses via “five-finger dis-
unt from Texas A&M University rest-
oms.
We have had eight purse thefts re
nted in the last 12 days, said Buford
lornton, assistant special investigator for
ie University police.
Most of the purse snatchings have oc-
irred in the ladies restroom on the first
)or of the Memorial Student Center
ISC), Thornton said. The investigation
is been kept quiet until now, he said,
nise the police had stake-outs and de-
>ysaround the restroom.
“We decided to the let the story out so
eople could start protecting their prop-
ty, Thornton said.
Three investigative officers working
11-time have failed to catch the girl. The
mie general description has surfaced on
ur separate incidents, Thornton said.
Wing that the suspect either dyes her
air or wears a wig.
According to statements from victims,
ie average time for the thefts to occur has
been three minutes. All thefts have oc
curred between 10 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.
The suspect is not only stealing purses,
Thornton said, but also forging checks and
taking credit cards. Six of the stolen purses
have been turned in at various locations,
one of which was J.C. Penney Co. in
Bryan.
Thornton said one Texas A&M coed had
$175 worth of checks (total of 5 checks)
forged in her name alone. He said a total of
$220 cash has been taken thus far.
Another coed, he said, had a book of
checks from the Bank of A&M in College
Station and Citizen State Bank of Corpus
Christi stolen.
Another victim recovered her own
purse from a table in the MSC snack bar
minutes after it had been stolen. Nothing
had been taken from the purse.
“The thief seem to go in for the latest
fashion in shoulder bags and clutch
purses, said Thornton. Three of the sto
len purses had monograms on them.
“A&M will have to suffer the loss on the
checks cashed on campus, Thornton said,
“however, students will have to pay 7 the
first $50 worth of any purchases made by
the thief for each credit card stolen.
of Nahariya, located on the Mediterranean
a few miles from the Lebanese border.
Two men were killed.
Israeli military sources said the attack
apparently was launched by Palestinian
guerrillas of the so-called rejection front,
which opposes any accommodation with
the Jewish state.
In retaliation, Israeli gunners pounded
guerrilla positions across the Lebanese
border in a cannonade ordered by Defense
Minister Ezer Weizman, who visited the
families of Shmuel Mintz, 33, and Louis
Levi, 45, who were killed by shrapnel.
“Israel will settle the accounts with
those who did this deed,’ he said. “But
there is no guarantee it will not happen
again.
A Lebanese reporter in southern Leba
non said fight escalated around the
Paletinian-held town of Nabatiyeh as guer
rillas traded fire with Lebanese rightists
backed by the Israeli gunners across the
border. Three persons, including a 12-
year-old girl, were reported killed.
A splash and sparkle
It’s not something from under the microscope
in biology lab, although it might pass in a pinch.
Actually, photographer Ken Herrera has caught
the sun in the spray of Rudder Fountain.
BBB: avenue of complaints
By DEBBY KRENEK
By JEANNE GRAHAM
The Better Business Bureau of the
Brazos Valley, without question, promotes
better business—for the businesses. The
question is: What can it do for the con
sumer, and more specifically, for the col
lege student?
Leroy Balmain, head of the department,
says the bureau is set up to take com
plaints and solve disputes concerning con
sumers and businesses in the area. Two
disputing parties are brought together to
“fairly and satisfactorily” find a solution to
the particular problem, with no legal ac
tion involved.
“As long as there is a marketplace, there
will be disputes,’ Balmain says. The
largest number of disputes concern off-
campus students with apartment man
agement problems; most specifically,
problems with getting their security depo
sits back, he says.
Before filing a complaint with the
bureau, a consumer must first try to settle
his problem with the business in question.
They’re Off]
It’s the start of the Southwestern Association Intercollegiate
Athletics for Women regional cross-country meet held at the A&M
golf course Saturday. The Aggies won the 5,000 meter race with
42 points to finish their season undefeated. They travel to George
town for the National AIAW meet Nov. 19.
Battalion photo by Michael Fred
Balmain says. For instance, a tenant must
take his complaint to the apartment man
ager before he takes it to the bureau. If the
consumer fails to get action that way, he
can submit a written, signed complaint to
the bureau explaining the facts of the case,
how he has been mistreated, and what he
thinks a satisfactory solution to the prob
lem would he.
“We receive at least 1,000 phone calls
per month from people with complaints,
however only about 400 of those ever
reach us in written form,” says Lynn Bot
kin, BBB secretary. This averages about
50 calls a a day.
The consumer is then asked to fill out a
form about of the problem and what he
thinks would be a fair solution.
The business in question can either
comply with the firm letter and set up a
time to meet and discuss the problem with
the dissatisfied consumer and bureau, or
simply throw the letter away and forget all
about it.
“If the business doesn’t reply,” Balmain
says, “we continue to send letters. If there
is still no response, we record that there
have been complaints filed against that
business.” And so the case is ended. The
BBB can suggest, however, that the con-
sumer go through small claims court.
“We can only inform consumers about
delinquent businesses when they call in
before they shop, says Botkin. “We only
give out the facts, then we leave it up to
the consumer to decide. We do not
endorse any companies or products, nor
do we guarantee that the customer will be
satisfied with any business.”
If the business in question chooses to
comply, the two parties are brought to
gether under the supervision of the
bureau to settle the dispute, either peace
ably or by arbitration.
If arbitration is chosen, the decision on
the case is out of the hands of the bureau,
Balmain says. The two parties can either
take the case before a panel of citizens,
select a single arbitrator from a pool of
volunteers, or each select a person of his
choice.The two so chosen pick a third ar
bitrator from the pool to serve as panel
chairman.
Informal proceedings are held before
the arbitrators, with witnesses present if
the parties desire. The decision may re
solve all issues in favor of one party or it
may be split between the parties.
Decisions, whether in favor of the con
sumer or the business, are unbiased, Bal
main says. “When I make a decision, it’s
like refereeing a hall game. I don’t take
sides. ”
Businesses are the lifeblood of the BBB
and Balmain explains that the bureau is
financed and supported by area com
panies, stores and apartment complexes.
Although the Brazos County BBB
encompases 18 counties from as far west as
Milam County to Sabine County on the
Louisiana border, only two of its members
are from outside Bryan-College Station.
“The Better Business Bureau is just get
ting established in Bryan so we haven t
been able to serve outlying areas as well as
we should, Balmain says. When Balmain
came to the organization in February
1972, there were 110 businesses in the
BBB. Now there are 400, an increase of
about 60 businesses per year.
An annual dues of $75 is paid to the
Brazos Valley bureau by each member
business.
Sam Collins, manager of Pelican’s
Wharf, joined the BBB this summer. He
says that Balmain called on him with a list
of benefits the BBB could provide his
business. These included the use of the
BBB sticker that is supposed to signify an
honest business and the monthly newslet
ter in which the BBB warns against fraudu
lent business.
“He came to me with the idea of what
he could do for us, Collins says. “He was
trying to sell me on the BBB. I thought it
would be good for my business, so 1
joined.”
Jim Darby of Darby’s Garage has never
joined the BBB. He says he didn’t join
because of the dues and because his com
petitors aren’t members. Darby had an
unanswered complaint with the BBB in
April.
“I own and run my garage myself so I
don’t always have time to sit down and
answer the complaints,” Darby says.
“There is always going to he someone
complaining that I didn t fix his car. I al
ways do what they ask me to do and no
mere. Then they complain when their car
doesn’t act brand new. ”
See BETTER, page 9