Page 8AThe Battalion/Wednesday, March 7, 1984
Bad axle and bearing
blamed for derailment
United Press International
HENDERSON, N.C. — A
bad bearing and a broken axle
on a locomotive were blamed
Tuesday for sending Amtrak’s
Silver Star passenger train bar
relling off the track at 79 mph,
injuring at least 51 of the 269
people aboard.
Most of the injuries were mi
nor but a Columbia, S.C., man
suffered a broken neck. All 18
cars and one of the three en
gines pulling the New York-to-
Florida train left the track.
National Transportation
Safety Board member Vernon
Grose said at a news conference
Tuesday the bearing and axle
would be taken to Wilmington,
Del., for analysis.
“We don’t know which came
first, the broken axle or the
failed bearing,” Grose said.
Ray Bullard, a spokesman for
Seaboard Systems, which oper-
A ii N o
Friday, April 13
2nd floor MSC
8 to 1
PLAN NOW!
ales the train for Arntrak and
owns the track where the acci
dent occurred, said investiga
tors found an axle on the last of
the three engines had snapped.
“There’s no way it could have
been a result of the derail
ment,” Bullard said. “This is
concurred in by Seaboard and
Arntrak.”
Noting that a trestle over the
Tar River is only a quarter mile
away, Grose said “I think there
are good places to derail and
there are poor places to derail
and when you go over a bridge,
that's not a good place to derail.
You can say we are very fortu
nate.”
Bullard said the train was
running at 79 mph, which is the
speed limit for that section of
track, when it derailed. It was
raining at the time, but Bullard
said the axle is believed to be
the sole cause of the accident.
“The track was not a factor,
nor the speed nor the weather,”
he said.
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COMICS —
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Gulf, Socal may have to selfin:
service stations if merged
United Pi
AUSTIN
texas cnnit
United Press International
An Arntrak spokesman in
Washington said damage to
equipment was estimated at
$1,485,000, not counting an
other $55,000 in damage to the
track. Seaboard crews worked
in a steady rain Tuesday to re
pair about 3,000 feet of track.
The train derailed around
6:45 p.m., sending some cars
down sleep embankments on ei
ther side of the roadbed.
PITTSBURGH — Standard
Oil Go. of California and Gulf
Oil Corp. might be forced to sell
gas stations and refineries to
overcome antitrust hurdles to
their merger, the biggest in cor
porate history, industry experts
said Tuesday.
“We are still dealing with a
risk that the merger may not
happen,” said oil analyst Alvin
D. Silber of Dean Witter Rey
nolds in New York. “Whether
that risk is 5 percent or 20 per
cent, it’s hard to say.”
Socal, the nation’s fifth-larg-
est oil firm, agreed Monday to
buy sixth-ranked Gulf for $13.2
billion, or $80 per share, res
cuing it from a hostile bid by
Texas oilman T. Boone Pick
ens.
A combined Gulf-Socal
would be the nation’s third-
largest oil firm in terms of sales
and the largest gasoline retailer,
with a 10.1 percent market
share, industry experts said.
The massive deal could be
halted if antitrust experts at the
Federal Trade Commission ob
ject. The agency said Tuesday it
will investigate the plan.
But the FTC and the compa
nies are free to negotiate an
agreement to resolve any objec
tions. Texaco Inc. and Getty Oil
Co. had to agree to sell 1,900
gas stations and other prop
erties to win the government’s
blessing of their $10.1 billion
merger, the largest takeover ap
proved so far.
Socal and Gulf also might
have to get rid of some of their
gas stations and refineries,
though their oil and gas re
serves are probably safe, said
George Baker, oil analyst for
Smith Barney in New York.
Pittsburgh-based Gulf runs
14,908 gas stations. Socal of San
Fransisco operates 7,579 Chev
ron stations.
The location of the outlets
might concentrate too much
m
rime-fightii
Col. Jim
rime rate ft
rimes in lU
n mcreaset
market power in the sows onsequence
ern United States, saidSiftflrowin;
Dean Witter Reynolds
Company officials refill
comment. “It’s just loo so teTexasDi
tell on that,” a Gulf spoil afety.said
said.
The current leading
lailer is Amoco Oil Co.,
7.2 percent share of the
gasoline market, said Ij»
geles oil expert Dan Lmi
Gulf now holds a 5.1 pc
share, Soc al 5 percent, lies ^/-vi
Some consumer adn f|rjh
charged the deal wouldrai™
tail prices, but Lundbertn
is “simplistic” to preaki
merger’s effect on oil price
2 years — i:
afternoondeught\ Investigation ends
1 PM - 10 PM
MONDAY
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3409 TEXAS AVENUE • BRYAN
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ppatcher w
bl minutes
stepmother i
^assigned tc
A Dallas
with 23 indictments
United Press International
popular
:cl food
SAN ANTONIO — Federal
indictments returned Tuesday
charged that 23 people, includ
ing merchants at the
Mercado, exchanget
stamps for cash and accepted
stamps for jewelry, stereos, tele
visions and pornography, said
U.S. Attorney Edward G.
Prado.
Prado, nominated by Presi
dent Reagan Monday for a fed
eral judgeship, said the
ments capped ;i year like Jones
undercover i nvesligation
Department of Agricull® iurse Billie
the LhS. attorney’s office.
Federal marshals Tu fie month
began rounding up the2;
United Pr
DALLAS
lat broadca
le January
me 300 i
mplaining
Dent.
Firedepai
jispatcher,
in paid aci
|ut was retu
fendants, who were nampodays’lea
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Dallas ti
DFW airei
ipes of the
ews prograi
It was not
13 sealed indictments leu
by a federal grand juryj
The defendants indud ecause of
cal store owners and pr tessure
sellers from the Me read
market, a popular tourist^
lion in downtown San Art
Prado said.
Assistant U.S. Attorne)
iel Maeso, who headed tl k was invo
vesligation, said food sellerinstane
were purchased for less
face value from welfarefi ateopenre
ents. Some of the trans» pes of otl:
took place in the parking! ons
food stamp dis-tribution
ters, hesaid.
In other cases, store
illegally accepted food si ;ainsi the c
for jewelry, stereos, televi
pornography, beer, dpi 'ouldbecoi
and other items, he said:
“Food stamps are for lepartment
These items cannot he m, on Jan
with food stamps,” Prados
The indictments eharfl avingtroub
Bexar County store owner
buying food stamps fa
than face value from u 'speak to th
cover agents posing as
recipients, then redee Boff: “N(
them at f ull value from fa : emslikesk
eminent, he said. [ Myrick:
Jones said
igned to otl
Larry Bol
W stepmot
led a $300,
fficials said
Boff said
other, Lil
On the taf
rs, Boff w;
The tape t
it?"
Boff:
Ht
The other 12 defen
were charged with
the stamps for items other now?"
food. None of those
were welfare recipients,*
said.
Prado estimated that u
from welfare fraud appr® l>oknows w
$135,000 of the $4 mffi ^ydon’tyc
food stamps distribute nlanceout!
Bexar County each montlt
Myrick: "S
Boff: “Wi
l>ese slupic
me
asl
Myrick:
[fa on life-i
encies."