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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 1, 1983)
The Battalion Serving the University community M 76 No. 191 USPS 045360 26 Pages In 2 Sections College Station, Texas Thursday, September 1,1983 South Korea Delieves plane forced down United Press International SEOUL, South Korea — A Korean lir Lines jumbo jet missing over the lorthwest Pacific Ocean with 269 topleaboard, including a U.S. con- tessman, is “almost certain" to have ttn shot down neat a Soviet-held land north of Japan, the govern- lent said today. In Tokyo, Japanese officials said it jpeared that Soviet fighters, which Itbased at Sakhalin island about 850 fc north of Tokyo, had scrambled limercept the airliner shortly before disappeared from radar screens. An undetermined number of jntricans were aboard the flight. South Korean Culture- ilormation Minister Lee Jin-hie told kws conference that the plane. Ko- bd Airlines Flight 007 from New M to Seoul, lost radio contact at :!la.m. local time todav over the tnhern Japanese island of Hok- bIo. “According to circumstances based information from various chan- tls, the plane is almost certain to ivebeen attacked and shot clown by tkirdcountry," Lee said. "The gov- mnent is continuing efforts to con- tmthe fate of the aircraft." The government-run Korean roadcasting System had said the oeinR 747 landed on Sakhalin. The Captive describes lijacking United Press International Fifteen hostages released after uiordeal that took them to four limtries in four clays aboard a hi nted Air France jetliner spent knight in a Tehran hotel before kirexpected departure today. One of three freed Americans, kClayton L. Thomas, 62, told iiidaughter in Brimfield, Mass., Mnesday that he was the hos- f ordered to kneel on the run- (i) at Tehran’s Mehrabad Air- in while two terrorists fired Fob over him. The hijackers who fired the fes were trying to force officials nihe Iranian capital to give them aline to blow up the plane ear- ittthis week. Speaking by telephone from Tfhran, Thomas described the optivity as “a terrible ordeal," Wording to his daughter, Wendy fitanen. From one minute to the next feydidn’t know if they’d be dead Hilive,” Rutanen said. Apart from reporting that the iased hostages apparently were *tl and spending the night at a Ffiiran hotel, there was no official from Iranian authorities 'kdnesday on the windup of the Sacking ordeal that began Satur- afternoon. Arabic-speaking gunmen seized Air France’s Flight 781 with 114 feengers and crew on a Vienna- Waris trip, apparently to show tJ [iport for Iran in its three-year- Ifwar with Iraq. inside Wnndtown. Rifled.... K\ W Fat’s up. 11 8 3 2 17 5 6 lAJ forecast Judy today with inter' 11 ' 11 High near 90. Soviet foreign ministry, in its only comment, denied the report but left open the possibility the plane was down in the area. Lee said the government had asked the United States and Japan to assist in finding the plane. Fight Japanese patrol boats and six aircraft rushed to the waters west of Sakhalin and reported sighting two Soviet aircraft and five vessels con ducting a search, Japan’s Maritime Safety Agency said. Among the passengers was Rep. Ijrry McDonald, D-Ga., who was said to be traveling to meet a group of senators attending a ceremony mark ing the 30th anniversary of a U.S.South Korean mutual defense treaty. "If the attack and shooting down is a fact, it is an inhumane act in flagrant violation of international law, and should be condemned in the world community," Lee said. “ The guilty nation must bear due responsibilities for attacking un armed civil aircraft." The Boeing 747 jetliner was re ported missing Wednesday, and offi cials originally feared the plane may have l>een hijacked. In Tokyo,Japanese Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone met with senior officials on the incident. Gramm eyes Senate seat by Ronnie Crocker Battalion Staff U.S. Congressman Phil Gramm said Wednesday he will strongly consider running for the U.S. Sen ate seat that will be vacated after this term by fellow Republican John Tower. Gramm was speaking on the American economy at a Bryan- College Station Chamber of Com merce breakfast when he was asked to comment on rumors that he was seeking the senator’s office. Gramm told the businessmen that the thought crossed his mind to seek the senate seat when he first learned of Tower’s decision. He added that, after consulting with his family, he is now “looking at it hard.” The congressman said he is touring Texas to get voters’ opin ions. He said he probably will run if he has enough support to assure a Republican victory. Texas has benefited in the past from having both Republican and Democratic senators in Washing ton, he said, because they have given Texas access to the White House regardless of the adminis tration. He also said Republicans must not lose their control in the senate to prevent passage of economically damaging bills by the Democrats. Gramm’s talk on the economy seemed generally optimistic. The economy seems to be recov ering rapidly, he said, and the trend should continue throughout 1983 and into 1984. He said the government has curbed much of its spending and is trying to hold the spending rate of growth at 4.5 percent this year, down from the last two years. Gramm called the federal de ficit “the one remaining dark staff photo by Guy Hood Congressman Phil Gramm delivers Wednesday address cloud on the horizon” and stressed that it must be worked out. The problem, he said, is not be cause of defense spending or an unproductive America but be cause of the “explosive growth of spending in the non-military sector.” However, Gramm called for a tight defense budget that would take the politics out of military spending. Shuttle robot experiment goes well United Press International CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — The shuttle astro nauts hoisted a 7,460-pound, truck-sized dumbbell high over Challenger on the end of a robot arm today, proving the crane can launch giant satellites in the future. Richard Truly and Dale Gardner wiggled the 50-foot arm to see how it affected the shuttle and then wiggled the shuttle to see what it did to the arm with the large simulated spacecraft in its grasp. There were no surprises. Gardner said the Canadian-built arm, like a weight lifter exercising with a dumbbell, was doing “a super job. We haven’t had a hiccup yet out of it. Truly, Gardner, Daniel Brandenstein, William Thornton and Guion Bluford, America’s first black in space, were busy with a variety of jobs on day three of the six-day voyage. “Sure beats working for a living, Mary,” Truly told astronaut Mary Cleave in mission control. The arm tests marked a switch in emphasis on this eighth space shuttle mission. The commercial objectives — launching a satellite for India and purifying living cells for an aerospace company — were met during the first two days of flight and today the shuttle crew began preparing for (lie future. “The purpose of these tests is to qualify the arm for operating with heavier payloads than we've run to date,” flight director Randy Stone said. Challenger’s use of NASA’s new data relay satel lite was interrupted more than 12 hours because of computer problems at the satellite control center at White Sands, N.M. The satellite relay link was re established this morning, giving the control center an unscheduled televised look at the arm testing. Gardner first flexed the robot arm at 3 a.m. ED I . T he 19-foot-long, 15-foot-wide lead and alu minum structure, shaped like a dumbbell, was lifted slowly away from its berth. It was returned to its berth without difficulty at 7 a.m. to complete the first segment of the day’s tests. Leaders dispute Lebanon United Press International WASHINGTON — Congressional leaders are warning that the renewed fighting in Lebanon, which could in volve U.S. Marines in further combat, may also lead to a stiff confrontation between Congress and the Reagan administration. Secretary of State George Shultz, in a news conference called Wednesday as fighting continued between the Lebanese Army and Moslem groups, insisted repeatedly that the adminis tration is living up to the letter and spirit of the law in Reporting to Con gress on the situation in Lebanon. “The president has reported prop erly under the War Powers Act,” Shultz said. That view was disputed by mem bers of Congress and one of Shultz’ predecessors, former Secretary of State Cyrus Vance. Vance, President Carter’s first sec- retary of state, said “it (Lebanon) is a combat situation and the matter should he referred to Congress.” The 1973 War Powers Resolution requires that U.S. troops sent “into hostilities or into situations where im minent involvement in hostilities is clearly indicated by the circumst ances” must be withdrawn within 60 to 90 days unless Congress approves their continued deployment. But the resolution itself has been called into question by a Supreme Court ruling earlier this year outlaw ing the “legislative veto” of federal acts. Shultz also declared, as President Reagan did Tuesday, that the United States “will continue to maintain our support for the multinational (peace keeping) force and the U.S. Marine component of that force.” “Let no one doubt,” Shultz said, “that if attacked the Marines w ill take care of themselves with vigor.” He also told the news conference, “They are involved in a situation where there is violence. It is a general ized pattern of violence. We are re porting to Congress as we should, as a matter of common sense and of law.” “1 believe there is no concerted effort to single out the Marines and target them.” Two Marines were killed and 14 wounded in a mortar attack Monday and fighting continued with the U.S. forces returning fire, including artil lery. Rain, mud delay recovery of fossils by Karen Schrimsher Battalion Staff Anthropological researchers from Texas A&M began uncovering the fossil remains of a 10,000-year-old mammoth from the banks of the Bra zos River in December 1982, but sog gy weather has hampered the project ever since. The fossils were discovered in October 1982 by Robert Duewall, who contacted the Department of Anthropology. Duewall, a visiting businessman, was canoeing in the area when he and a companion noticed part of a tusk protruding from the river bank. The excavation is located on pri vately owned land northwest of the University campus. The exact loca tion is being withheld because it is feared that intruders will harm the digs. Excavation directors Dr. Gentry Steele and Dr. David Carlson said the weather must cooperate before dig ging can begin again. The river level must be stable, and several days of warm, dry weather are required. So far, the only fossils left to re move are the tusks, one shoulder blade, and some rib fragments. The remaining parts, including the jaw, teeth and nip bones were brought back to the campus and are on view in Bolton Hall. In its younger days, the mammoth, an ancient elephant, stood 12 to 13 feet high and weighed about six tons. Its tusks were six and a half feet long. The dig was originally intended for a class project, but the bad weather prevented the students from working at a scheduled pace. Instead, the directors relied on the help of about 40 volunteers. The group was made up of anthropology students, graduate students and others who were interested in the find. Carlson said the group decided to begin excavation in the cooler months, using picks and shovels to unearth the bones. When the fossils were reached, trowels, wisk brushes, paint brushes and wooden probes were used. But winter rains caused the bank to collapse twice, each time causing a set back in the process. The group de cided to wait until summer, hoping the weather would be dry. “We were getting really close to being finished about three weeks ago,” Carlson said. “T hen the hurri cane came.” The excavation was completely co vered again, and 100 man-hours were lost. Recent checks of the site indicate that it is too damp and muddy to con tinue with the project at this time. The unearthing process is a com plex one. First, the fossils must be un covered from the top. The earth is carved out around each piece until the fossils appear to sit on a pedestal. Once half the specimen is exposed, it is covered with a cast made from plaster of paris. Then it is lifted and turned over so the cast acts as a pro tective tray until the fossil can be transported and preserved in the lab. Transportation and preservation of the fossils is a tedious process, Carl son said. “They (the fossils) are crumbly, and after what they’ve been through already, they don’t need anymore shocks,” he said. Graduate students from the anthropology department will pre pare the bones so that they will not decay any further. The fossils will be cleaned and given a plastic coating. Christi Assad is directing the pre servation of the bones, with Elizabeth Ham as her assistant. Tony Comuzzie will use the experience to write his master’s thesis. Both Carlson and Steele agree that the mammoth bones have been amaz ingly well preserved. “Considering it is 10,000 to 12,000 years old, it’s in very good condition,” Carlson said. “The problem is that it has been wet most of the year.” See MAMMOTH page 4 photo courtesy of University News Service Dr. David Carlson, left, and Dr. Gentry Steele with the mammoth tusks.