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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (June 22, 1983)
Page 4/The Battalion/Wednesday, June 22, 1983 Arson seen as possibility Hotel fire cause unknown United Press International FORT WORTH — Investiga tors have not ruled out arson in the Ramada Inn fire that killed five people last week, although laboratory tests so far show no sign of gasoline or other fuel in the carpeting where the fire started. “No accelerants were found in six of seven samples,” Deputy Fire Chief Don Peacock told a news conference Monday con cerning tests conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms in San Francisco. “The seventh was inconclusive and the lab has requested an addi tional control sample from an unburned area (of the carpet),” he said. Officials of the Fort Worth fire department and the ATF planned to meet Tuesday to re view the investigation and to coordinate their future activi ties, Peacock said. The rolls of carpet had been left in a hallway of a two-story building at the five-building Ramada Inn Central during re novation. Last Tuesday’s pre-d^wn blaze killed five guests at the motel: a woman from Texas, two men from Kansas, a man from Oklahoma and a man from Illinois. Another 34 guests were tre ated for various injuries, includ ing smoke inhalation, lacera tions and broken bones received when they broke windows in their rooms and leaped out to escape the fire, which destroyed the 87-unit building. Peacock said officers were questioning motel employees and guests but had not singled out a possible arson suspect. He said the absence of flamm- ables would not rule out arson because the paper and plastic in which the carpeting was wrap ped could have been quickly ignited by a match. The Ramada Inn Central was one of three Fort Worth hotels plagued by fires in the past week. A two-alarm fire Sunday at the Hyatt Regency Hotel caused no injuries but called out 12 pieces of apparatus and 35 fire fighters. Fire officials said it was the fifth arson blaze at the Hyatt in 10 days. Department spokesman Capt. Roy Knight said the fire began in a maid’s closet on the sixth floor of the east tower of the downtown hotel, which housed about 50 guests. The guests were transferred to rooms in the hotel’s west tower. Professor joins nuclear protest United Press International EL PASO — Religious and academic figures joined about 100 other people at the entrance to Fort Bliss for an International Nuclear Disarmament Day de monstration. John Haddox, a philosophy professor at the University of Texas at El Paso, said he was protesting the nuclear arms buildup “just to make people aware of the extremely danger ous position in which we find ourselves and to encourage the governments of the United States and the Soviet Union to continue to seek nuclear dis armament.” The protesters, who included the Rev. Jaime Madrid, chancel lor of the Roman Catholic Dio cese of El Paso, and the Rev. For rest Johnson, a Unitarian minis ter, sang and prayed in the 100- amuel’s degree heat for about an hour Monday. Madrid said a commitment to peace is “more than just the abs ence of war. We need to build peace, like a great cathedral. We must prevent the use of any nuc lear weapons.” Fort Bliss is a 2 million-acre facility where guided missiles and other weapons are tested. One of the protesters. Gene Keller, said he was taking part because he wants his son, 11, to have a future. “We need to take these bil lions of dollars we’re spending on arms and spend it on the poor,” said Trip Sullivan, one of the organizers of the demonstr- tion. “We need to get rid of the Vietnam mentality that the way to save a village is to annihilate it.” [joining toucfi of e.[e.cjano£. Introduces Their PR|\|E: RIB inc£uJc.s: iaCcul, Cra&cJ potato, [nc.cj. & HutUi (or fizifi a ex) italiCc.) ; ' $7^"* Monday-Thursday 5-9 p.m. This in addition to a variety of other menu selections. Reservations Accepted • Phone: “" ,531 3» Cars on Bolivar possible after ban 403 Villa Maria blks West of Texas & Villa Maria United Press International GALVESTON — Galveston County Commissioners have agreed to reconsider their ban on vehicles on a 1,500-foot stretch of beach on Bolivar Peninsula across the Galveston % Bay entrance to Galveston Is land. The commissioners agreed to the ban last June 6. Area resi dents and beachfront homeow ners complained of traffic and trash. They have agreed to re consider the ban because of complaints from merchants and other residents. The ban on Bolivar Peninsula beach traffic is not being en forced yet, and county commis sioners have not indicated when they might reach a final deci sion. United ATLAb iling his lie concei tusk sing jrns to th week fort festival s Iraw thoi The c< 'itha Jul) ■l.Y. at tl ■ulv 3 con Hold, N.J mds’ Gia limactic ert at A taceway. Joining he 12-hc dll be lank W Ulan Coi Linda Rot bats. Th ludes a United ' J’ALEST plough th izone laye ard twe ions were bed and (ding in ■xico. “The sc are functior Firman of lloon Fa nmg. Delayed ds, the f s launch route across Welborn road, Jol'nsrTT opts for maximum aerobic conditio* by jogging up the overhead walk. -« ha ShaTa’s] cApparelQa.llery p* Provisional Students Search abandone for drowned Great Bass Sale Thursday, June 23rd thru Saturday, June 25th Bass Sandals, Sport Shoes, & Casual Flats Only $ 20 per pair Layaway plan available on early Fall Styles! Open daily 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Come in and save! Culpepper Plaza Thurs. 10 a.m.-8 p.m. ^0^ ^jo^ c 5-3° v)Je< o' ' a so9°°Aa!» v *' rve^ et Jo T» c ° -at. A *=>*3° ^ All Provisional Students report to room 100, First Floor, Harrington Bldg, June 27 thru July 1, to pick up registration instruction for the second summer term. United Press International FREEPORT — Sheriffs de puties called off the search for the last of four missing children sill not found but believed drowned less than a mile from an area where warning signs had been taken for firewood. The bodies of the other three were found Monday by Brazoria County officials on Sergeant Beach west of the San Bernard River and near the mouth of the river, a sheriffs spokesman said. Capt. Gene Smith said the body of Darrin Duhart, 13, had not yet been found. Smith said signs warning peo ple of treacherous water at the mouth of the San Bernarcj were not in place after the accident. “I understand none of the United AN A1 |ted con au, a for Kwitness, : Rltltiple co mail Fraud signs were down there jj fs sa y ni time,” he said. |llio n froi Smith said removal I jury se signs “goes on all thetime f uesc i a y got these people that trial. signs down and use th There were DeVeai ing Drol firewood. posted.” jntlicted by He said the area w stin Dec. 1 children swam Sunday! j t j es f rauc j the most dangerous their invol county. duiriesof. The three childrenweicompany. tilled as Carrie S. Het* DeVea Anthony Duhart, 12,a 1982again: rick Oliveda, 9. All ofthf Rec used of i were cousins. Charlotte y ev rt 14, was rescued afterheffgovernmer to swim and save hersisi j n federal c rie, failed. She was inpt |l Abscar dition in a Houston hosfJfions. tensive care unit. MDeVeau One of the bodiestt®|he federa about 3:30 p.m. on i jffogram w Beach west of the Saul in April 19 River. The other ^contends i found about 90 minu'fftered rnor near the mouth of then' : |et assets t( a sheriffs office spokes |ised to pu The children werf away as they swam near 1 bar at the mouth ofthe^l nard River. The body of the fr 8 found was taken toBayf-| eral Home in Freeport ^| AGGIE KAR KAtfiiey r-(rr.w wsmIH fit, f Let us care for your caf customer satisfaction. *wash, wax & buffed ^ cleaned $29.95 *interior cleaned and w/Armor All $9.95 ^deluxe car treatment $44 You come co us or we willcoK* 1 [^holders, $5.00 off thru July 4^ 696-9013 Class of ’84 — United fl DAI,la; Rce by la praniff I Ken’s Aut 421 S. Main-Bi 822-2823 “A Complete Autoi Service Centet Brakes PECK & PECK Tune-Ups Clutches Front End Parts Standard Transmissio ,: Repairs All American C3 fi Datsun-Honda Toyota firm has ai date for fil Plan in ^court. Chairm id lawyer pected t fore F Judge Jot W°rth to : suppoi Jived exc< e bond hi The ch ibker, h; 9 $70 mil 'Kent aga [ u pto2,C ad the lea aft. Keprest taniff cn bolder rt ut voted w 10.000 cr prove Pi nization