The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current, November 15, 1979, Image 9
THE BATTALION THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 1979 Pages "jperailed chemical cars blasted Washington man discovers novel, effective techniques of self-defense United Press International snnatp HiiJM olin O> Fla. — A 500-foot- o souther “S 1 ' fir e ba11 — “spectacular and hry hot ’ — seared the evening sky, ilding the destruction of a string erailed tank cars and the return 1,500 evacuees to their homes. ‘ etonation of the cars, three of h had been burning since they lied Sunday morning, was car- jjd out late Tuesday by a jump- ited, cowboy-booted demolitions Jjiert called in from Texas to defuse i3 he possibility of an uncontrolled hemical explosion. Authorities said 1,500 people were evacuated just before the blast, and if a daybreak reconnaissance trip to the Louisville & Nashville Rail road wreck showed another blast un necessary, officials said the 500 resi dents nearest the scene may be allowed to return to their Florida Panhandle homes. Wayne Rutledge, who led the Texas demolition team, said the series of controlled blasts Tuesday was successful in at least eight of the nine cars filled with flammable li quids. If the ninth car still contains gas, it will be rigged with plastic explosives — a procedure Rutledge described as more dangerous than the original demolition job because of the unst able nature of the gases after the ear lier blasts. He returned from a helicopter in spection of the scene, where 29 cars of a 109-car train derailed, and said, “All of the toxic material is being consumed by the fire.” Six of the cars contained liquid propane, which turns into a highly flammable fuel as it mixes with air. The others contained ethyl alcohol, styrene monomer, used in making styrofoam insulation, and acetone. Al Smith, coordinator of the En vironmental Protection Agency’s Regional Response team, said, “We didn’t hurt anybody. We thank God for that.” Despite objections by the rail road, which apparently thought only the burning cars should be des troyed, Smith ordered the demoli tion of all nine cars. “There wasn’t any alternative to detonating all nine cars simultaneously,” Rutledge said. Smith said the response team probably would pick up the demoli tion bill, which was expected to run between $25,000 and $50,000, be cause L&N officials had balked. Russell Gober, a National Trans portation Safety Board member, said the derailment was apparently caused by a washout and L&N was not to blame. He said the train, bound from New Orleans to Jacksonville, appa rently was going about 45 mph, 4 mph below the speed limit, when it jumped the tracks. United Press International SPOKANE, Wash. — Arnold Sanborn, 32, proved a tire iron is an effective weapon against karate moves. Sanborn, of Wauconda, Wash., found a man going through his pick up truck at a motel Tuesday and the would-be thief grabbed a tire iron. He then threw a couple of karate kicks at Sanborn. When Sanborn took the tire iron from the man, the thief assumed a martial-arts stance. So, police said, the truck owner bopped him on the head, chased him and landed a cou ple of more blows with the tire iron. Daniel Brown, 25, was arrested and taken to a hospital for treatment of cuts on the head and face. laho - Ore. 55,786; — The ilems, the); '/nnsterd! House voted 352-48 Wednesday 1 I % smooth out the ups and downs ling proas ^ meat * m ports in an effort to stabilize fluctuations in domestic >tage stam| 1 t ^ -—prices. t nursimk Th e legislation also limits Pres- favceesst! ident Carters current P ower to y ■ ^ increase or suspend meat quotas under certain emergency condi tions are men be prosy! eant to stabilize prices eat import hill passed United Press International WASHINGTON prison dial ar dystrop! .s werejoii ; The bill now goes to the Senate with eacl)| i the prise h agree 1 pride in while is expected to be govemnti iver-regi he healtlil ng“the« where it is approved. Afloor of 1.25 billion pounds of meat imports was established in the bill after the House defeated an amendment by Rep. Willis Gradison, R-Ohio, to place the floor at 1.3 billion pounds. The bill would change the for mula for determining limitations on meat imports. Australia and New Zealand are major suppliers of the beef im ports, mostly lean beef used for hamburger and sausages. Cana- * da, Mexico and Central American nations provide the rest. Currently, beef imports rise when U. S. production is high and fall when U.S. production falls, thus intensifying swings in beef prices and supplies. Under the bill, a so-called counter-cyclical formula would result in increased beef imports when domestic supplies are low and lower imports when domes tic supplies are high, thus stabi lizing supplies and prices. The formula is expected to maintain imports in the neighborhood of seven percent. The bill was in trouble follow ing its approval May 31 by the House Ways and Means Commit tee because the committee bill, with the support of the cattle in dustry, guaranteed the United States would import at least 1.2 billion pounds a year But the administration, under pressure from foreign suppliers, supported an import floor of 1.3 billion pounds. The administra tion and cattle producers com promised on a floor of 1.25 billion pounds. Last year Carter used a pocket veto on a similar bill because he objected to the bill’s constraints on his authority to raise or sus pend import quotas. Presidential use of the author ity, most recently in June 1978 when Carter raised imports, has angered cattle producers. Last year, the imports lowered their prices just as they had begun to make money after three to four years of losses. This year’s compromise mod ifies the president’s authority to increase or suspend quotas in times of emergency. Some pro-consumer legislators objected to any quotas at all, saying that beef prices would be lower if unlimited imports were permitted. They disagreed with the cattle industry’s arguments that lifting limits on imports would hurt cattle production. Although supporting the legis lation, the administration said abandoning quotas would reduce domestic cattle production by less than one percent. Carter asks Senate for tougher windfall tax United Press International WASHINGTON — Determined to toughen the tax on oil windfall profits, administration officials argue that the need to ban further Iranian oil imports emphasizes the importance of developing alterna tive energy sources. The Senate is expected to take up its version of the windfall tax soon, possibly Wednesday. Some of the $138 billion it would raise in re venues would be used for research and development of alternate sources of energy. “We are trying to get the toughest tax we can get, one official told reporters Tuesday. He said nearly every senator has been contacted by an administra tion official with the message that President Carter wants a tougher bill than the Senate Finance Committee has approved. The recent developments in Iran, including the oil ban, emphasize the need for building alternative sources, he told reporters. The Senate voted 68-27 Tuesday to give poor southerners money to pay for air conditioning, then decided to amend the windfall tax bill by adding a $7 billion program to help northerners cope with winter heating bills. Congress already has approved $1.35 billion in emergency aid to help the poor heat their homes this winter. The new proposal would authorize $3 billion for fiscal 1981 and $4 billion for fiscal 1982. The administration wants to increase tax revenues $114 billion by eliminating the committee’s exemptions for newly discovered oil, the first 1,000 barrels per day from stripper wells, and tertiary oil — crude so difficult to extract it must be flushed from the earth. “It is very important that the president get an adequate windfall profits tax, ” said an official when asked if Carter would veto a bill he felt was weak. But he said veto talk “would not be productive now. J.Js Wholesale Warehouse F eaturing KEGiBEER L?- 1 his wife 1 t do amt i, Patty, 1 tion in otesofdd sas City: r televiskl rchased ■oss the col nactment itial aci ces oven' to Rico, Ricans a| dum. 'be( eat ier Sunda; ch luncliis 4 the day! s 15. A to a store il lalliman, 1 it she had ao had noil Wednesi •ing beg! ’ood crisis by year 2000? Expert warns of United Press International The four-day meeting of the newly LAS CRUCES, N.M. — The formed commission is being )rld must double its food supplies attended by some 50 government by the end of this century or else rynd academic officials from both the U.S. and Mexico. The conference is the first formal scientific exchange between the two countries. Thomas, who said cooperation be tween the two nations in the area of agricultural research was “long over due,” told the delegates a worldwide famine will threaten the security of prosperous and poor nations alike if current food supplies are not dou bled. The NMSU president said to poor and rich nations alike will face a jajor crisis. New Mexico State Uni- rsity President Gerald Thomas has Id a conference of American and exican officials. Thomas, a member of the Select ard for International Food and ^cultural Development, deli- ipred the keynote speech late Tues- y at the joint U.S.-Mexico Com mission on Agricultural Cooperation sonference at NMSU. shortage achieve that goal, joint research was essential. “There are no simple solutions to the world’s food problem,” Thomas said. Thomas said the most critical fac tor facing agricultural productivity in this century is energy, but within two decades, water will become the biggest limiting factor in world food production. $1 $| $-j: >1 7! BEFORE A HAIR IS TOUCHED The hairstylists at That Place do some very important work before a hair on your head is touched. They consult with you to find the style that fits your hair, your face and your lifestyle. And when they are through, they tell you how to take care of it so you’ll keep looking good. 707 SHOPPING VILLAGE CULPEPPER PLAZA 696-6933 693-0607 FREE DRYING (When You Wash) Limit 1 coupon per customer limit 50c Good 8 a.m.-9 p.m. thru 11/18/79 Hank’s Laundry 103 E. Holleman (behind Homecraft Electronics) Present This Coupon Invite the bunch... mix a great, big bucket full of Open House Punch Serves 32. .. tastes like a super cocktail! Smoothest, most delicious drink for any crowd! Mix in advance, add 7UP and ice at party time — and serve from the bucket. Looks and tastes great. J&!L i_ Recipe: One fifth Southern Comfort 3 quarts 7UP 6 oz. fresh lemon juice One 6-oz. can frozen orange juice One 6-oz. can frozen lemonade Chill ingredients. Mix in bucket, adding 7UP last. Add drops of red food coloring (optional): stir. Add ice. orange and lemon slices. Puts punch in any party! Southern Comfort Nothing's so delicious as Comfort® on-the-rocks! 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