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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 16, 1978)
Page 10 THE BATTALION MONDAY, OCTOBER 16, 1978 Clairvoiiance his guide Man drives blindfolded was a man wearing a black hood and a cotton and steel blindfold. In the passenger seats were Dracula and his bride, Vampira, and three nerv ous reporters. The hooded man drove north on Michigan Avenue and Lake Shore United Press International CHICAGO — The long, sleek, silver 1979 Cadillac Eldorado cruised up North Michigan Avenue and other drivers gaped in shocked surprise. Behind the wheel of the Cadillac Drive for more than three miles from the John Hancock Center to the Century Shopping Center. Aggieland Flower & Gift Shop The ride on Friday the 13th was a promotion for the March of Dimes Foundation. Driving the Cadillac was Alphonse F. Curatola, 42, an architect with offices in the John Hancock Center. He drove the car blindfolded to the foundation’s Halloween haunted house at the shopping center. Give her the Keepsake Mum g If she's special — be individual and jk let Aggieland Flowers design your * mum just for her. Select a special |j mum of velvet, colligate or satin trim C — add roses, carnations or button X poms. Individual designing creates a better || mum for you. 8 CALL 846-5825 Plants — Hallmark Cards Posters — Candles — Roses & Other Fresh Flowers Open 8-5:30 846-5825 209 University Dr. (Next to Campus Theatre) 846-5825 Curatola said he made the drive by what he called his “clair voyance,” which he said allows him to detect and “see” objects hidden from his sight. He hopes to have his blind drive put in the Guinness Book of World Becords. Before the ride began, his pas sengers were nervous when Curatola had to be led to the driver’s door of his car parked out-_ side the Hancock. He opened all the windows and the sunroof of the car, then got onto the busy highway. He had no “close calls” with other cars during the trek and no police escort was set up to clear traffic, al though he occasionally asked to be directed by the reporters. At one point, when a cab driver blasted his horn at the Cadillac, Curatola yel led, “Can’t you see where you’re go ing?” We Wire Flowers Worldwide Curatola said he’s been practicing driving blindfolded for 15 years. He once drove a shorter distance blindfolded in Los Angeles, he said. MSC Great Issues presents DR. DENNIS BRUTUS professor of Afro-American Studies Northwestern University, speaking on “South African Civil Rights. j j 601 Rudder Tower 12:30 p.m. Tues., Oct. 17 Admission is free with I.D. card A pressing process — The Battalion Pressman Bob Evins prepares one of the presses in the Texas A&M Printing Center to run the day’s Battalion. The aluminum plate he is holding does not touch the paper. In stead, it picks up ink and transfers it to the cylindrical rubber blanket that actually prints on the paper. Each day 22,000 copies of the Battalion are distributed on campus aixfctt r' around College Station. Battalion photo by Beth CalksjThe City wants hydrogen for energy United Press International FOBEST CITY, Iowa — This town famed for building recreational vehicles wants to use nature’s most abundant element and an under utilized state resource to combat 807 TEXAS Across from Texas A&M 696-3380 A&M STUDENT DISCOUNT (WITH COUPON) (NOT GOOD ON DELIVERIES) 1 75 OFF Mama's Pizza (20") Large Pizza (16") Medium Pizza (13”) (EXPIRES OCTOBER 19, 1978) GOOD MON.-THURS. OFF $|00 OFF TAMU MSC TOWN HALL SERIES ATTRACTION #2 FRIDAY, OCTOBER 20 8:00 P.M. G. ROLLIE WHITE COLISEUM i General Admission FREE w/ticket 3.00 4.00 Reserved 4.00/ 4.50 4.00/ 4.50 6.00/ 6.50 Tickets and Info: MSC Box Office 845-2916 soaring fuel bills. The potential energy source is hydrogen, nature’s simplest ele ment. The resource is Iowa coal, which has a sulfur content too high to make it acceptable for burning within state and federal air pollution standards. Through a novel process yet un tested on a large scale, the northern Iowa town of 3,800 residents hopes to use the coal to produce hydrogen gas that in turn can be used to heat homes and factories and run the municipal power plant. “We re really excited about this,” said Douglas Eddy, president of the Forest City Industrial Development Group. “We’re looking at the possi bility of an unlimited source of energy and one that doesn’t pollute. That’s pretty exciting when you think about it.” To produce hydrogen, a process known as coal gasification is used. Although there are huge gasification plants costing upwards of $1 billion at several sites around the world, most produce coal gas and not hyd rogen, which has not been regarded as a viable primary fuel. Development of a hydrogen- based fuel economy was proposed by John K. Hanson, founder of Winnebago Industries, the city's largest employer and one of the na tion’s largest manufacturers of re creational vehicles. Hanson began shopping for alter nate energy systems after Win nebago’s annual fuel bill jumped from $250,000 in 1972, the year be fore the Arab oil embargo, to $2 million last year. His search took him to Billings Energy Corporation in Utah, which has experimented with hydrogen for several years. The firm has successfully retrofit ted a Winnebago motor home and a prototype residential energy system with hydrogen power plants. To add greater flexibility to hydrogen’s use, Billings scientists have developed a storage system that uses an iron- titanium compound to literally soak up the hydrogen gas, then release it as it is needed. With a $50,000 grant from Han son, Billings began looking at Win nebago’s energy needs. The project j since has mushroomed into a blue- jprint for revolutionizing the way Forest City and Winnebago meet I their energy needs. I With a $20 million coal gasifica- ating Jalways tion plant, city officials estirLt we they could supply enough hyijjid ha to cut Winnebago’s fuelbillsiil But tl fuel the city’s electrical gentn plant and cut residential eas sumption by injecting the re. len th der into the natural gas systei "Hydrogen is the only fuel can be used to run your car, your home or power a genei al ai |And ye 1 peoj plant and since it’s contained! ave 1 ter, there’s no risk of runninga chin it,” said Barrie Campbell, 1 wl’Oan vice president for research. Mf! beat Campbell downplayed wne foi gen’s possible dangers. p win He said critics have befip ts an( l eager to point to the explosion!] German zeppelin Hindenk| 1937 — which used lighter-tli hydrogen for bouyancy — denee of hydrogen’s volatile L rate( said it is as safe, if not safer, ounts natural gas or propane. j area The main attraction in theF (V j ( ] es City case, Campbell said, * s l «r crop! bility and cost. rethar Researchers also expect d a ] ll)() , community could recoven: | $800,000 a year by selling til products of the coal gasification ^ at cr, cess, including sulfur for fertili s °lutii The hydrogen project hasy a ^ ev ’ f j r get off the drawing board. 1 e c * e: The Iowa Legislature wasi * n sea to put up $165,000 for a A er th f study of the Forest City systei > e S1 the money is made available, o! P V0lt ' s ficials said they can raise tin 0 million needed for plant cons F ol Ou tion. r r p* a But Forest City is banking*® 5 w,th future of its hydrogen- economy and already is usinj prospects of low-priced and re available fuel to lure indust! north central Iowa. Eddy said one East Coast manufacturer expressed an int in relocating a $5 million w Forest City to escape skyrod costs and interruptions in set" A Or its energy-intensive manufediF 1 process. If the city is successful in b® a plant that works, Ecp Campbell predicted other quickly will follow suit. “When you’re taking a chantj this, there’s always the posa ihe answer will be no, you it,’” Eddy said. “But if it does work, Forest the state — everyone stands nefit pit) a p with wm N WE APO MUMS MADE BY PROFESSIONALS Five styles to choose from. Free campus delivery Saturday morning. On sale before each home football game in the MSC, dorms, Commons & Sbisa. Tues. thru Thurs. and Friday in the MSC ONLY. Wk) LIMITED SUPPLY OF MUMS WILL BE SOLD ON SATURDAY MORNING IN MSC.