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Page 12/The Battalion/Wednesday, February 1, 1984
Capitol statue
to be inspected
i
United Press International
AUSTIN — A specialist will
inspect the 16-foot Goddess of
Liberty statue atop the Texas
State Capitol this week to recom
mend how the state should re
pair serious cracks in the 96-
year-old cast zinc statue.
Texas Historical Commission
architect Stan Graves said Tues
day the statue will be inspected
Friday by Patrick Rice, a conser
vator from the Washington Uni
versity Sculpture Conservation
Laboratory in St. Louis.
Workers who were cleaning
and painting the Capitol dome
last fall discovered serious
cracks that threaten the structu
ral integrity of the statue.
Graves said the cracks are in
the back, arms, hand and sword
of the statue, although other
areas of its surface are also badly
deteriorated. The cracks appa
rently were caused by freezing
water and lightning.
It is uncertain whether the
statue will have to be removed to
be repaired.
“There’s a possibility it may
have to be taken down to be re
paired or it might be repaired in
place,” said Graves. “He (Rice) is
going to check under the base of
the dome where it is attached
and he may well go on the out
side of the dome with safety
ropes to inspect the exterior.”
Also, a helicopter may be used
to photograph the statue, he
said.
In addition to the cracks,
workmen also found insect nests
inside the statue, which was cast
in 1888 in the basement of the
Capitol by J.C. McFarland.
The grim-faced statue, hold
ing a star in one hand and a
sword in the other, was hoisted
atop the Capitol dome on Feb.
26, 1888. The prominent five-
pointed star held aloft in the left
hand symbolizes Texas’ image as
the Lone Star state.
Details of how the statute was
placed on its 300-foot perch are
sketchy, but photographs have
led historians to believe
raised by a pair of detil
T here are no records ini
how much the statue
although Graves said Rid
try to make that detenu:;
during his inspection.
Graves said alter thej
tion this week, a reporttl
submitted to the comnii
outlining proposals forJ
and stabilization of thes^|
The state is being dJ
$ 1,500 for the inspection!
Woman charged with cruelty
United Press International
HOUSTON — Investigators
who found 26 skinny horses, a
half-eaten horse carcass, at least
six horse graves and a pile of
horse bones on a north Harris
County tract Tuesday charged a
55-year-old woman with animal
cruelty.
One horse in a barn had
gnawed much of the wood off
his stall gate trying to fill his sto
mach, investigators said, and
counting skulls they estimated at
least 15 horses had died and
were improperly disposed of on
the place.
“This is the worst case of
animal cruelty on record in Har
ris County,” Harris County Pre
cinct 5 Constable Tracy Maxon
said as he and deputies scoured
the 37-acre tract on Jones Road,
finding dead dogs as well as
dead horses.
“We have a situation where a
woman had been taking care of a
number of horses and they have
just been loved to death,” said
Constable’s Capt. George Hueb-
ner. “She could not take care of
them, but she would not part
with them.”
Maxon said his office received
four months of complaints own
er Johnnie Riley, 55, was not
properly feeding the horses but
would not sell them or let a
veterinarian kill them painlessly.
Maxon said estimates of how
many horses originally were on
the place were conflicting, with
accounts of former handlers
ranging from 50 to 105. Many
more may have died, he said.
The survivors, several with
ribs showing and coats filthy,
were impounded. Maxon said
they would go to the county
farm where, if a court decided
Mrs. Riley could not keep them,_
they would be sold or “put to
sleep.”
Justice of the Peace H.N.
McElroy scheduled a hearing on
the impoundment question
within 10 days.
Veterinarian Vicki Oefinger,
who accompanied officers to the
scene, said the horses still alive
were very neglected. Blood sam
ples were taken for analysis, but
she said preliminary indications
were the horses had worms.
“It’s a situation of benign neg
lect,” Dr. Oefinger said. “I think
we simply have a misguided in
dividual here. Either she wasn’t
cognizant or she closed her eyes.
I just can’t understand it.”
Riley drove up to the proper
ty while Maxon and his cieputies
were searching, and she angrily
denied the charges, saying “I am
an animal lover."
Riley said some of her horses
died of old age and others had
Juniors, Seniors
Grad, Vet, Med
students
Get your picture taken
on-campus at the
8:30 a.m.-12 noon, 1:00 p.m.-4:30 p.m.
For more information call 693-6756 or 845-2681.
become sick, but shesaidvit
taken care of them evenilj
she had been going thi
divorce and had undei
surgery recently.
“A veterinarian has let
attendance. The horstsj
been fed and properl)|
tained,” Riley said. Therd
way any animal on this|
died of starvation.”
Asked about Huebner'sp
mem the horses had bee:i
to death, she said: “ThaiJ
culous. I think hejustn
take my horses and toe
false illusion of glory fotl
self.”
H uebner told reporten!
heard that story fourtiiml
kept saying please talec
your horses. Nothing
pened. WejustcouldnW
longer.”
Crewmen
body
located
Unitd Press Intemationi
CORPUS CHR1ST1 -1
body of man found inthtl
of Mexico was identified!:
day as a crew member frou
Florence B, a fishing boaii
sing since Jan. 16, offidaki
N ueces County Medidi
aminer Dr. Joseph Ruppl
fied the Ixxly as thatotarap
crew member, but the*
name was withheld pendinr
notification of relative:I
spokeswoman Jo Forbus. I-,
“We’re still working «■
she said. “We’d like to fin
family and ask them a afl
tatoo (on the victim’s bod:
didn’t have a good ID on: •
However, Forbus sai:
body did carry a cardlislk
name of one of the missing:
men. The card said them*
born in 1933, and italsoii
social security number:
being checked out, she at’
She said the man app
had two addresses, one ii
son. Miss., and anotherinR
cola, Fla.
Officials in both cities*
attempting to track dowtj
victim’s next of kin, shes
The Coast Guard discoj
the body Monday aboutSOsj
southeast of Port Aransas*!
investigating a drifting at!
from the Matagorda Shift
nel. The body had become*
tangled in the bony’s ani'
chain, officials said.
Two other members:
Florence B are stll missing
66-foot fishing vessel saiil
16 about 46 miles souths
Galveston.
Children
perish in
house fit
United Press Intemation*
SAN ANTONIO-I
children, whose mother
them alone “for five minute;
get surplus cheese, were!
'Tuesday in a one-alarmft|
their westside home, ofh-
said.
Fire Department Capt h
ry T revino identified thew
as Veronica Gonzales,!
Luis Angel Gonzales, 1.
The fire gutted the front'
rooms of the small, wood-W
house on the city’s wests'
Trevino said. The
bodies were found neat
front door, he said.
The mother, Patricia ('
zales, had apparently left
children alone to collect stir;
cheese from a local assist*
agency and found the I
flames when she returned
said.
“The husband was
the other kid was at school
the mother said she wentt°
some cheese,” Trevinos
“She said she was only gon:
five minutes.”
Trevino said the hous«
engulfed in flames when
woman returned, making*
cue attempt impossible.
“Nobody could hav(res
them),” Trevino said.
Investigators said thecaiis'
the fire had not yetbeendf 1
mined.