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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 14, 1983)
K-f Serving the University community I ; )l 78 No. 53 USPS 0453110 14 pages College Station, Texas Monday, November 14, 1983 h-T— r — 'Vmtrack crash inquiry begins United Press International VIARSHALL — The National ^insportation Safety Board Sunday s ned its inquiry into the cause of a iding Amtrak train wreck that tore 400 feet of newly-laid track and (a four dead and more than 100 in- fed- ^Transportation Secretary Eli- Veth Dole dispatched a seven- ^mber team within hours of the Nh Saturday morning at the Wood- lawn community about 170 miles east of Dallas. Meanwhile, state police identified the dead as Sybil Fisher, 59, of Mineola; Alma Helena Zahn, 69, of Lacrosse, Wise.; Carol McDonald, 74, of Richardson; and Dorothy Blask, 83, who was moving from Milwaukee to Dallas. As many as 100 passengers were treated at hospitals in Dallas and throughout East Texas, officials said. The Amtrak Eagle, bound from Chicago to San Antonio, jumped tracks on a curve at about 70 mph, within the speed limit, about 500 yards from the site of a 1981 derail ment, railroad authorities said. Five cars at the rear of the nine-car train jumped the tracks. The train pulled up 400 feet of track in its slide 500 feet beyond the point where the train cars initially left the track. NTSB spokesman Bob Buckhorn in Marshall said Sunday the line was reopened and the investigation team would have a preliminary report to release. “They have basically opened that line,” he said. “They worked all last night.” He said workers have righted the cars and moved them into a Marshall railyard, where investigators will con tinue their work. Passengers and crew reported evi dence of broken or displaced rails just before five cars at the rear of the train jumped track. “The only thing I know is that there was a rail turned or a rail split or something that caused the car to go off,” said Missouri Pacific conductor Boyd Pulliam, who was riding on the train. “‘When it dug the railroad up, three cars behind turned over,” Pulliam said. Amtrak spokesman Arthur Lloyd in San Francisco said the railroad had no theories yet on the cause of the crash. He said Amtrak inquiries had failed to confirm reports that crews were seen working on the line just before the crash. ionfire “push” brings Indents, stack together by Clara N. Hurter Battalion Reporter dore than 2,500 Aggies are ex act! to lend a hand in “push,” the al week and a half of bonfire con- uction, which began Sunday at dnight. Push week is meant to be a remin- r of the original bonfire building dition, when Aggies spent only two eks constructing the tall stack of s. Now bonfire preparation takes mths. ‘Push” is a 24-hour-a-day scramble complete construction of the 55- 't-tall stack. Shifts are six hours g but workers are not restricted to t amount of time. A “push” day is eduled for each class at Texas :M For example, midnight dnesday to midnight Thursday is ignated as a work day for the Class 84. Senior bonfire coordinator Albert y says that during “push” there’s a of camaraderie. Everyone who iwslup at the site can help, he says. ‘It’s the one thing that brings the rps and non-regs together,” he Civilian bonfire coordinator Mike Golladay said there is camaraderie be tween Corps members and civilians. “We give each other a hard time but it’s all in good fun,” he said. Women also show up to help dur ing “push,” bringing hot cups of black coffee, cigars, refreshments and mor al support to encourage and comfort the men working on the stack. “Wherever there are more boys, there are more girls,” Sherri Garrett, cookie crew sub-chairman, said. Golladay, the only off-campus junior bonfire coordinator, said he is disappointed in this years’ turnout of off-campus students, but he expects more recruits during “push.” He said he hopes other groups will come out for “push.” The atmosphere during “push” is a little different from that of the earlier working days, Eby said. “There’s a lot more cussing and screaming,” Eby said. But all of the yelling is just a part of the morale boosting, he said. Working with heavy logs and swinging 40 to 55 feet above the ground on the stack can be dan gerous. Accidents are rare but can happen during “push,” junior bonfire coordi nator Jeff Wagnon said. “Most of the accidents occur at cut ting sites,” he said. “It’s harder to con trol safety there.” There are fewer accidents during “push” because of a safety plan and the thorough coordination of stack building, Eby said. Both Eby and Golladay said they expect the bonfire to stand past mid night. “It will last past midnight and prob ably burn for two to three weeks,” Eby said. An “open house” is scheduled Thursday from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Duncan Field. “It’s always open house out there,” head civilian Mark Hackfeld said. “This is a special opportunity to answer questions that people have ab out bonfire.” Hackfeld, a senior accounting ma jor, encourages parents to bring their children to the open house. “It’s always been a big hit with the kids and most students enjoy having them come,” he said. “There are a lot of things going on that kids and pa rents alike will enjoy.” four ends Reagan wraps up symbolic trip to Asia United Press International IEOUL, South Korea — President igan Monday ended his symbolic ) to reaffirm U.S. defense commit- nts in Asia — a journey highlight- by a dramatic foray to stare into a rth Korean encampment and chal- ige communism face-to-face. Presidential spokesman Larry cakes said Reagan accomplished fundamental objectives on the six- y trip — establishing “an agenda r progress” with Japan and reaf- ming a 30-year-old commitment to : defense of South Korea. Secretary Stale George Shultz rated the trip n outstanding success.” Reagan, however, skimmed over ugh issues facing the governments Japan and South Korea — Tokyo’s ntinued limits on American trade id Seoul’s crackdown on opponents the authoritarian regime of Presi- :nt Chun Doo Hwan. New charges of human rights •uses, including the detention of wernment critics during Reagan’s inside Ground town Classified . . . Local National .... Opinions.... Sports State What’s up . . . forecast Kigh today of in the upper 60s vith a low tonight of 34. visit, prompted White House concern about the outcome of the trip. Chun planned to accompany the president and Mrs. Reagan to Kimpo Airport for a brief ceremony before Air Force One took off on a 15-hour journey home. Earlier, the two presidents issued a joint statement of unity and friend ship, saying they “took note of the strong and myriad bonds of friend ship and cooperation that have linked the United States and the Republic of Korea and judged those ties to be in excellent condition.” The presidents made little mention of the human rights issue, saying merely they had “affirmed the im portance of defending and streng thening freedom and the institutions that serve freedom, openness and political stability.” A Jewish survivor of several World War II Nazi concentration camps, in cluding the infamous Buchenwald camp, will present his views on human rights Monday in Rudder Theater at 8 p.m. When William Samelson was 11 years old, the Germans took him from his homeland of Poland and impris oned him in a Nazi forced labor camp. Samelson was shipped from camp to camp for more than two years. Then in 1942, the Germans sent 13- year-old Samelson to Buchenwald, his home for the next three years. Samel son was rescued in April of 1945 by the U.S. Army. He migrated to the United States in 1948. By 1954, Samelson had served two years with the U.S. Army Intelligence Corps, had received a master’s degree from Kent State Uni versity, had begun working toward his doctorate in literature and philo sophy, and had become a citizen of the United States. Samelson became an instructor of foreign languages at the San Antonio Reagan and Chun dedicated them selves to principles of freer trade and greater economic cooperation and to the 30-year-old defense pact linking the two nations. They also charged that the Oct. 9 bombing in Burma that killed 17 South Korean officials was a “deliber ate act of state terrorism,” committed by North Korea. The trip had begun with attention focused on trade disputes between the United States and Japan. It ended with an unequivocal pledge of sup port for Chun, despite new allega tions of human rights abuses. Reagan was concerned almost sole ly with promoting the military might of the United States, Japan and South Korea arrayed against the Soviet Un ion and North Korea. His repeated denunciations of communism came in the context of the Soviet downing of a Korean jet Sept. 1 and the Burma bombing attack against South Korean government officials. College in 1956, where he is now pro fessor of foreign languages and chair man of the department of foreign lan guages. In 1968 the Texas Legislature proclaimed Dr. Samelson an honor ary citizen of Texas and named him admiral of the Texas navy. William Samelson WWII labor camp survivor to speak Friday was Veterans’ Day and a spray of flowers was placed at the Westgate Memorial by members of the Armed Forces. The memorial is located at the entrance to campus facing Wellborn Road Bus service to continue by the Grove. It stands as a memorial to Aggies who died in WWII. Veterans Day is a national holiday and federal workers had the day off, but classes went on as usual at Texas A&M. Employees still United Press International PHOENIX, Ariz. — As a noon Monday deadline approached, strik ing Greyhound employees Sunday planned rallies and symbolic “walk aways” to show disdain for the com pany that intends to resume bus oper ations Thursday — with or without them. Amalgamated Transit Union offi cials have said locals around the coun try plan to group at Greyhound bus facilities for the noon deadline to re turn to work. Company officials have said they will begin hiring replace ments once they know how many em ployees will return to work. One striking employee called the company’s half price fares advertised nationwide Sunday “an invitation to suicide,” claiming new drivers will not be sufficiently trained. The company said it would hire only experienced drivers. About 12,500 employees went on strike Nov. 3 after Greyhound prop osed a 9.5 percent pay cut and reduc tions in other benefits. The company said it must cut labor costs to become competitive with re gional air lines and other bus com panies. Across the country, union mem bers pledged to stand firm in the face of losing their jobs. “I think every one of us in Fresno is prepared to begin new lives,” said Robert Baker, a Greyhound driver for 20 years. In Dallas, union officials said strik ers and their families would be at the bus station for the deadline, at which time they would throw Greyhound letters about the deadline in the trash. Tom Jeser, local chairman in El Paso said members of his local would meet at the Greyhound facility Monday 1 . “We plan at 10 minutes after 12 noon just to turn around and walk away from them, to tell them that we don’t need them,” Jeser said. Greyhound gave a similar message to strikers Sunday, placing larges ads in newspapers across the country stat- ing operations would resume Thursday. “Greyhound is back at half price,” the ad said, adding “Greyhound is rolling again at half price, with the high standards of safety and service you’ve come to expect from the leader.” The ad said the half price fares are striking in effect until Dec. 15. “Greyhound’s half price offer is an invitation to suicide,” said Robert Powers of Baltimore, a Greyhound driver for nine years. “There would be drivers who only have been trained two weeks.” Another Baltimore driver, Richard Wisner, said normally drivers are trained 10 weeks. “Anybody who would ride Greyhound during this time is crazy,” Wisner said. But company spokeswoman Dorothy Lorant denied that new driv ers would not have sufficient training. She said Greyhound will hire only drivers with intercity bus experience, and she said even in normal circumst ances experienced drivers are not re quired to go through the longer program. “Yes, the training school is shorter in duration, but there is no sacrifice in safety training,” she said, saying time was saved by sparing the trainees de tails of paperwork and nationwide routes. “In these circumstances, all they have to learn is the route between point A and point B,” she said.