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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 17, 1978)
Page 8 THE BATTALION TUESDAY, OCTOBER 17, 1978 Some things are same 75 years of airplanes Texans may pay more for gas while fuel flows to Northeast tl United Press International The airplane has come a long way since Orville and Wilbur Wright proved man could fly 75 years ago, come Dec. 17, 1978. Orville’s first flight in a powered heavier-than-air craft on the beach at Kitty Hawk, N.C., in 1903 lasted 12 seconds and covered 120 feet. The progress in air technology and transportation since, according to Robert J. Serling, nationally known aviation writer, can be “summed up by this single compari son: you can easily duplicate the entire length of that historic flight inside the cabin of a modern jetliner and still have room to spare.” Here are some other interesting comparisons in “Wrights to Wide- bodies — the first 75 years,” written by Serling (and available by writing to Public Relations, Air Transport Association, 1709 New York Ave., Washington, D.C. 20006.): The Wright brothers “Flyer” had a top speed of 31 mph, had an ap- Qbc) INTERSTATE .ni/846^714 & 846-U516*714 1 M4-I1SI UNIVERSITY SQUARE SHOPPING CENTER PUIT.gQUIHEWl. SALES proximate range of one-quarter mile, was powered by one 16- horse power engine, was 21 feet long, nad a wingspan of 40 feet, weighed 605 pounds empty and carried one passenger. Today s jetliners fly at 500-600 mph, have a range of 1,000 to 6,000 miles, are powered by two or more 10,000-75,000 horsepower engines, are 100 to 230 feet long, have a wingspan of 95 to 195 feet, weigh 50,000 to 360,000 pounds empty and carry 80 to 400 passengers. The report noted that in 1926, the year that marked the beginning of scheduled air services in the United States, domestic airlines carried 6,000 passengers. In 1978 the na tion’s scheduled airlines will fly more than 250 million passengers. Personal services and operations have changed, too. Take flight attendants, for exam ple. The United Airlines house pub lication Friendly Times recently re printed the following Farmer’s Al manac article: “On May 15, 1930, all Boeing Air Transport (now United Airlines) planes began carrying attendants. The first flight service manual in- MANOR EAST 3 THEATRES THE END FOUL PLAY 7:15 9:35 COMING HOME Skyway Twin DRESS GPTKA1A.E: TOGA I\I©T REQUIRED! IF YOU'RE IN HIGH SCHOOL. IF YOU'RE M ( IF Y0URE OUT OF COLLEGE, IF YOUVE EVER I OF COLLEGE * NATIONAL LAMPOON FAN. A SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE FAN. « you're just reedy ter tome wM edUi " you wiM H*v* • UutHiot t®ed * NATIONAL LAMPaan'. ANIMAL a univtftSAL PKTuru iiCMNiccxon** [ jjj WEST AT LAST, AT LAST PLUS TH^^=g£>y^£U CH EAST HOOPER PLUS GATOR Campus ;:x Hi xi i eluded the following instructions: —Before each flight sweep the cabin floor, dust off the seats, wipe the window sills, etc. —Make sure that all seats are se curely fastened to the floor. —Warn passengers against throw ing cigars and cigarettes out of win dows. —Keep the clock and altimeter wound up. —Carry a railroad timetable in case the plane is grounded. — Keep an eye on passengers when they go to the lavatory to be sure they don’t mistakenly go out the emergency exit.” A UAL flight attendant, respond ing in a subsequent issue, wondered whether cabin duties “have really changed that much” in nearly 50 years. She listed among current tasks: “Before each flight stack the serv ice centers and upper lounge, count your headsets, do your safety checks, prepare your predeparture service, get your demo (emergency oxygen and lifejacket demonstra tion) kits and kiddie toys ready. “Warn passengers against smok ing in the no smoking zones and the lavatory. “Keep the clock in the service center wound. “Carry a timetable and an OAG (Official Airlines Guide) in case the flight is late or cancels. “Keep an eye on passengers to make sure they don’t go in the per sonnel lift, thinking it’s a lavatory.” United Press International AUSTIN — Federal energy legis lation approved by Congress in the closing hours of its session could mean higher prices and shorter supplies for Texas natural gas con sumers, the chairman of the Texas Railroad Commission said Monday. Chairman Mack Wallace said fig ures provided by a congressional conference committee show con sumers in the Northeast will save $6 billion on natural gas costs between now and 1985 — while consumers in Texas and other gas producing states could pay up to $7 billion more for fuel. de- “I think if you lower the nominator, you can say the resi dents of producing states will pay 10 percent more for their gas and get 10 percent less gas,” Wallace said. “Residents of nonproducing states will pay 5 percent less and get 28 percent more gas.’ Wallace characterized the energy legislation as a sort of colonial^ ex ploitation. “In my judgment, it s as if they were mistreating a colony, because they are punishing success in the production of natural gas with policies that have failed on the fed eral level,” he said. “The bill that they have just passed follows an approach to natural gas supply that has misera bly failed this nation, and as a prac tical matter, ignores the approaches that have worked.” Wallace said natural gas produc tion in Texas has reached the point of having a “soft surplus, meaning production was sufficient that cus tomers might begin seeing lower P “Heretofore we have always been but (CARROLLS BASKET AND WICKER 707 Complex 846-7847 WICKER BACKGAMMON. WICKER TRUNKS$QQ J Nuclear ship ’avoiciB militants able to say gas is high in Texas, we have it. That no longer is opera tive. We don’t have the advantage of paying a higher price any more. The gas will move to the Northeast with out any corresponding in supply. He said the pricing structure con tained in the energy bill means prices on 70 percent of the natural gas sold on the interstate market will be limited to 55 cents per thousand cubic feet, while the prices on almost half the gas sold within Texas can climb to as mudi $3.50 per thousand cubic feet ' 1985 if inflation continues at a rat f 6 percent annually. The bill also allows the fed,, government to allocate fuel Pr duced in Texas to other states l when combined with a federal conversion law, it could resulting banning of natural gas for use* boiler fuel for generation of elect: ity in Texas, and encourage its * as a boiler fuel in the Northeast an effort to curtail fuel oil impo- The Fid ient Satil Wallace said. Rep. Bob Krueger, D-Texas.s, the energy bill “was a bad piet* legislation, because it was tU together in 90 days, then theysne 'T 500 days trying to improve it. a f f ,.° .i "I do not think this energy lesv ime ’ j tion is good for this state of®’*" ° n 1 country.” he said. “It will mediately increase costs to lei ll\ u own V7LL And in itothatol consumers for natural gas.” eet of some 50 tiny vessels operated by UdHed Press International TOKYO — The Mutsu, avoided a collision with a 1 IHP ultra-leftist protesters and arrived at a new port Tuesday. The 8,214 ton Mutsu docked at Trsebo Heavy Industries Co. de spite harassment by boats from militant anti-nuclear groups were trying to block the passage of the 403 f powered ship, which they consider unsafe. More than 100 radicals and militant labor union members in 50 boats temporarily brought the controversial ship to a halt while Capt. Fumio Osawa urged the boat operators to clear the way. Three boats capsized in rough seas shortly after the Mutsu entered the mouth of Sasebo port in Kyushu, but their crew members were rescued by other anti-Mutsu boats, authorities reported. More than 3,000 opponents, meanwhile, gathered on streets in downtown Sasebo to engage in a snake dance rally against the Mat su’s arrival as 4,000 riot police looked on. At least one student was arrested. Many of the radicals participating in the aoti-Mutsu rally had also fought the opening of th< earlier this year. Homemade ice cream danger the cird The Agl i for the] ■ouston his particl re new Tokyo International airport at Narita United Press International CHICAGO — Homemade ice cream may be more trouble than it's worth — it could be dangerous to your health. Of 22 recent outbreaks of food poisoning across the United States, 292 cases were associated with homemade ice cream, the American Medical Association Journal reported Monday. Some 73 of those afflicted with food poisoning were hospitalized, a survey of public health officials indicated. The victims were afflicted with salmonellosis, said Dr. Robert A. Gunn of The Center for Disease Control in Atlanta. The source of the germ, when it could be traced, most often was in the eggs used in the ice cream mix. They often were dirty, cracked or ungraded eggs from someone’s backyard hen coop that had not met inspection require ments for commercial eggs, Gunn said. Another common factor was that the eggs and other ingredients had been mixed into a custard and frozen without cooking. Cooking destroys the salmonella germ. Texas A 1st a case pne knov It was cl spired ar he Aggie jrough th jur game But the lemphis bw to pla le Aggies iirting. Tl MSC AGGIE CINEMA "jpupTnamka Eddie Dominguez '66 Joe Arciniega '74 WINNER OF 8 ACADEMY AWARDS INCLUDING BEST PICTURE Coming Soon Pink Panther Weekend Citizen Kane Seven Samurai Circus fantasy becomes reality for a dozen Denver dancers I Going in fcn readi Be nation. ■ They rea ■ The offe 1S7 yards, I 1st four g ■rror in th ■ougars \v lid lelt th IA touch ■osley ago Bason, Mo: Bavid Walk jl!i! ■ Mosley st Bided It you want the real thing, not frozen or canned . . . We call It "Mexican Food Supreme.” Dallas location: 3071 Northwest Hwy 352-8570 United Press International DENVER — The silver Ringling Bros, and Barnum & Bailey Circus train slipped out of Denver before dawn Monday, packing the invisible baggage of fantasy along with the ti gers and trapezes. The circus, using aerial gymnas tics, a squad of clowns and a line of pretty ladies waving from atop elephants, weaves a gypsy dream in the eternal child that lives in all au diences. The spell is cast by the sparkle of costumes and the parade of wild animals. By the time the circus train rolls out of the sleeping city, hearts are firmly ensnared in the tangle of high wires above the three rings. For most, the dream of joining the circus stays a private fantasy. But for more than a dozen Denver women, the chjldhood yearning took form one afternoon in an audi tion for showgirls. Ringling employs 40 showgirls to dance, smile and ride docile pachyderms. A newspaper ad drew 13 local aspirants, some polished dancers in black leotards. Others brought only hope and winced as they moved sneakered feet through the tryout routine. “Kick, jump, pivot, kick and kick,” chanted head showgirl Sue Sparkman, 24, as she demonstrated the steps. Circus choreographer Jerry Fries clapped the beat, view ing each of the dancers with a kindly but critical eye. Later that night, wearing a peacock blue and vivid green outfit, Sparkman led the current dance troupe around three rings, nodding her feather-topped head to the au dience and winking her glittertrim- med eyes. “It really is the greatest job in the world. It’s good dancing experience and you get to travel all over,” she said before the auditions began. Sparkman, a Florida native, has been with the circus for a year and a half. Showgirls get a room in the circus train, a salary of $200-plus per week, and an arrav of semiinpfl one. on weq stay seven years. - “Sometimes it gets in yourw Goach Y and sometimes it doesn t. I d f ■ a ) ( S 0 ' 1 know how long I will stay, btl Fast ye: know I love it now,” said Spark® r™’ ae0 adjusting an inch-long eyelis | a , n J e( to j ‘And you either love it or you gel! the train.” . r ^y jYes, Cos Wanted wh People wh< I lay be. Walker felt money nor travel that lured theBticism an dancers to the auditions. iMosley u ‘!I want to he a gypsy. 1 haveBirth quar ways wanted to join a circus, aBening wit finalist Claudia Dyson, 25, whoBnus 16 ya crates a local dance studio. | T , , r As off-duty clowns, crew atl thedelei aerialists watched, the women n f n 8 s that t through the routine, accompan* l xas only by Sparkman’s commandsai Mons wit Fries’ steady clapping. Eight wlU’ on tin dismissed. None cried, but mostlJ 3 P ast re l quickly. lOnthebr Fries, a veteran of Hollywoodr I Houston Broadway, offered advice to seva | the ^ con getting dance lessons and lor: [ e le to “ight. He said showgirls generJ Iew e j w u'th the circus from oneB emn 8' Ei Local Office: 520 University Dr. East For An Appointment Call: 846-7714 i'll PROTECTIVE LIFE® IINISLIRAIMCE COIVIRAINIY MOfVlE OFFICE - BIRIVUfMGMAIVI, ALAE3AIV1A