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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (April 8, 1981)
7 Page 10 State THE BATTALION WEDNESDAY, APRIL 8, 1981 Stal Grain elevator explosion kills three, injures many United Press international industrial area near the Corpus CORPUS CHRIS’!! — A public Christi harbor exploded during a grain elevator located in a heavy shift change Tuesday, killing three injuring many em- men and ployees. The explosion occurred about 3:10 p.m. as workers from the day shift were leaving and those on the evening shift were arriving. Officials on the scene said at least six silos exploded, and addi tional explosions were possible as long as an accompanying fire con tinued. “Anytime you have fires around the grain dust you can have more explosions,” said Assistant Fire Chief Victor R. Garcia. “We have about 11 units there and at least 50 men. There are probably more be cause a lot of off-duty men came in to help.” The Nueces County medical examiners’ office confirmed three men were dead. “We have identified two of them but have not reached their rm¥» $ rrrt mm rrrnrnrrnr rrrrro'TiTrrrri^B'riTyi PRAYING with the Family of God UNIVERSITY LUTHERAN CHAPEL 315 N. College Main Hubert Beck, Campus Pastor 846-6687 696-2802 (home) (Serving Lutherans at Texas AAM from AH Synods) Sunday Worship with Holy Communion 9:15 & 10:45 A.M. Bible Class at 9:30 A.M. Sunday Evening Worship ? P.M. UMTCM ttftVKC TONIGHT 10 > t 90 next of kin, so we can’t release their names,” the examiners’ office said. “The third has not been identified.” Army and Coast Guard helicop ters hovered near the scene to assist in rescue efforts, a spokes man said. Many employees were believed still trapped in the ele vator. “It was a very disastrous explo sion,” said Sgt. Jack Clemons, a Nueces County sheriffs deputy. The industrial area around the elevator outside of Corpus Christi city limits was evacuated, Cle mons said. Sandy Frazier, a spokeswoman for the Memorial Medical Center, said 22 people had been brought into the hospital, one of them cri tically injured. “We have had 22 admissions, 19 are being treated in E.R. (emergency room),” she said. “One victim is in critical condi tion; seven are burn victims. We understand the fire is still under way, and we should expect more injuries." Clemons said ambulances were dispatched from Corpus Christi and neighboring Robstown and Portland to care for the injured. Here’s the difference between a bank’s interest-bearing checking account and ours: Ours has a $300 minimum balance. Theirs requires more (in some cases, much more). MoneyStore was the first interest-bearing checking account in the Brazos Valley. And it’s still the best. Look at these features: • $300 Minimum Balance (not $500, $600, $700, $1,000 or $1,200). 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BRAZOS Savings COLLEGE STATION: Texas Ave. at Southwest Parkway/696-2800 Main Office: 2800 Texas Avenue/Bryan/779-2800 Several ambulances were called back to the scene, he said. All available deputies were on the scene and the civil defense had been called in to assist with rescue operations, he said. Witnesses at the scene said smoke from the fire that erupted after the blast billowed 500 feet into the air, visible from about one mile away. “We went right over there when we heard the explosion,” said Darrell Johnson, assistant manager of Producers Grain Port Terminal, located about a mile and a half from the elevator. he said. “The headhouse (where all controls and switches are local is just gone. It blew it out over.” He said most of the injuries! saw were bums, and many of victims were being taken out the area by helicopter. James Roberts, employee Hatcher Port Iron Works, locate about one mile from the elevate said the explosion shook his buil! ing. “I talked to Bill Jackson, the superintendant. He said he heard a rumble, told his men to hit the decks,” Johnson said. “He had his eyes closed tight but he could still see the fire. “He wasn’t actually burned, but he was singed a little and his face was black. He was blown clear through the window of his office." “It was pretty loud,” he sai: “It shook this whole buildii; When I heard it go up, I know exactly what it was. Assoti as I heard the noise of the eipt sion — it sounded like two three explosions, just kindofnit bled — I looked out the door a! saw the smoke coming. All lcoil see was smoke." Johnson said the force of the blast was so strong, huge pieces of cement were littering the area. “It blew one big piece of ce ment, about 10 to 15 feet wide and just as long onto a nearby road,” The U.S. Department of Af. culture in Washington said eip federal grain inspectors werei the elevator but all had accounted for. The agency dids; say why the inspectors were elevator, owned by the Nueo County Navigation District. Witnesses criticize state embalming Ml United Press International AUSTIN — A proposed embalming bill brought 113 witnesses toi House Economic Development Committee hearing, many of then criticizing the reinstatement of embalming dead bodies that reraaii unburied for 24 hours as well as those that will be cremated. Carol Barger of the Consumers Union said the only purposed requiring embalming is to encourage open caskets and therefore more impressive and expensive caskets and funerals. The bill would permit the body to be refrigerated if it is not embalmed, but Johnny B. Rogers, general counsel of the Texas Funei- al Directors Association, said, “very few funeral homes have refrigen tion facilities.” “Don’t let anybody tell you that this is one big glaring consume! issue,” Rogers said. “Ninety-nine percent of the people who come into Texas funeral homes want the traditional funeral with embalming.’ Dr. Charles Petty, chief medical examiner for Dallas Count), whose office handles 3,000 bodies a year, told the committee that embalming retards decomposition. Sen. Lloyd Doggett, D-Austin, an opponent of compulsoiy embalming, pointed out that current law does not prevent embalminj for health purposes or for examination of the body. Dr. James Reveley, a dentist, mortician and owner of a funeral home in San Antonio, told the committee that embalming presents as great a danger of spreading disease as failure to embalm. Sen. O. H. Harris, R-Dallas, chairman of the committee, warned that he does not intend to permit all 113 witnesses to testify in the hearings, which were scheduled to resume Tuesday, and he the opponents to condense their presentations. D. R. CAIN PROPERTIES “YOU HAVE A CHOICE’ PRELEASING FOR SUMMER AND FALL SEMESTERS YELLOWHOUSE APARTMENTS AND 4-PLEXES Corner of Southwest Parkway and Welsh College Station One and Two Bedrooms — Furnished and Unfurnished Two Bedrooms Have Washer and Dryer Connections 4-plexes Have Fenced Back Yards Laundry Room Facilities L0NGMIRE HOUSE APARTMENTS 2300 Long mire Drive — Off FM 2818 in Southwood Valley College Station One and Two Bedrooms — Furnished and Unfurnished Pool — Laundry Room Facilities ON SHUTTLE BUS FOR SUMMER AND FALL wi wa LIBERTY- who defeated general in the! Tuesday the s “sober and pe Respondin; heavy drinkir homosexuality to believe tho White sail reputation an peaceful perse White, wh< airplane but al for five minute between Dani Outside th said, “I just th important in t Daniel Jr. Wh of him.” White said admitting the Daniel ran ag; White sail custody case > trial in Octobe husband. At stake ai father was she sister, Jean seeking custe Marion Price. Pan him United Press ATLANTA — "general alarm” when i vanishes has be parents’ delay missing childrei 25th presumed v killer. The case of La mentally retardei missing April 2, Monday to Atlani task force. Rog March 30. Rogers is ont who ha since a police “ge was started a r others have beer Timothy Hill “Bubba” Dunca: was mentally ret reported missing long as three day last seen, Dept Eldrin Bell said. said th emergency plan, throwing up searching cars launching an all vicinity where tl seen, is to “find t missing and prot possibility of dar If medical exai of the time of de said, Hill a W by the t reported missing He added, ho' 1 95 percent of the information on, i worked.” Meanwhile, the black former who announced ] run for mayor succeed Mayna asked about t disappearances c in the city dm months. “I think the g< among most of candidates is tha issue,” Young saj SPECIAL 12 MONTH RATE BEGINNING IN JUNE 1 Bedroom Unf., $207.50 . Furn., $238.75 2 Bedroom Unf., $262.50 Furn., $302.50 2 Bedroom Unf., $287.50 Furn., $327.50 4-plex at Yellowhouse FALL RATES FOR NINE MONTHS 1 Bedroom Unf., $235.00 Furn., $270.00 2 Bedroom Unf., $290.00 Furn., $335.00 2 Bedroom Unf., $315.00 Furn., $360.00 4-plex at Yellowhouse D.R. Cain Company 3002 South Texas Avenue College Station Call 693-8850 weekdays 8:00 to 5:00 Call 693-8345 on Saturday