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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (March 25, 1994)
Page 10 The Battalion Friday, March 25, Wl It's Here! V s v. OfrZ N.J. natural gas pipeline explodes; levels apartments, injures dozens Friday, The Associated Press BEACH BAR & GRILL ^0 It's Spring Break Every Night! Party w<teo ot the 9 *s>f& 9 ' Doa 1 " jq _ Hot Wh NO COVER EVER 21 & OVER ■ EDISON, N.J. — First came the roar, then a reddish-orange glow like the sun was shining in the middle of the night. As the names leaped I 00 feet into the air, barefoot pajama-clad residents fled for their lives. On Thursday, teams of rescue workers and dogs scoured the bombed-out neighborhood for possi ble victims of the natural gas explo sion that leveled eight apartment buildings and sparked an inferno visi ble in three states. The blast left at least 250 people homeless. Nearly 500 people sought shelter at a Red Cross evacuation cen ter at the township’s high school. Just one fatality was reported. About 40 of the 250 people living in the destroyed buildings had not been accounted for by late afternoon. "All of a sudden I heard a WHOOSH!” evacuee John Gallagher said. “It was like the sun was shining in the middle of the night. I just got my wife and myself and we just ran out with what we had on, in our un derwear.” Witnesses described a deafening roar as the pipeline ruptured, and the gas blasted out of the hole and caught fire. The flames shot more than 100 feet into the night sky like a huge blowtorch. Within minutes the intense heat ignited buildings, cars and almost anything else within its reach. “The roaring sound, it was un believable,” said 67-year-old Al bert Warshawsky, who jumped from his second-story patio with his wife and son. “We just got out really by the skin of our teeth. ... I was going to get my car, and my kid put a bear hug on me and that was the end of that." The car burned moments later. A 32-year-old woman living at the apartment complex died of a heart attack, said Arthur Cifelli, chief of staff to Edison Mayor George Spadoro. Hospital officials reported at least 1 00 people injured. The cause of the blast was unknown. Local and feder al officials were investigating. The 36-inch-diameter pipeline was one of three owned by Texas Eastern Transmission of Houston that run through Middlesex County carrying natural gas to New Jersey utilities, said company official Tom Wooden. He said the carbon steel pipe had been installed in 1961. The pipeline was about 300 yards from the complex. Texas Eastern officials said the “It was like the s was shining in middle of the night -John Gallagk evacua line had been thoroughly inspecit in 1986 and regular maintemm had not revealed any problems. Township officials said mo!: than 1,5 00 people lived atij. Durham Woods Apartments, aboi 60 two -and three-story buildinj with up to 16 apartments pi: structure. Eight buildings, wii; 128 apartments, burned totti ground and several others wtn damaged. Those closest to the pipeli® had only minutes to flee. Firefwti ers could get no closer than wit) 3,000 feet of the flames, whitl could be seen up to 30 miles aw! in New York City, Trenton anil' Bucks County, Pa. "It sounded like three were revving up their engines, Jim Nemeth said. "I ran outandi I saw was red. It was like daylijli I thought we had been bombed Lunch & Dinner 11:30 A.M.-1 A.M. Happy Hour 4:00 - 7:00 Pipelines safest way to transport gas, industry says The Associated Press SUNDAYS Beach, Brew. & BBQ $4.50 BBQ Buffet $2.00 12 & Under $1.00 Longnecks All Day, All Night Tug O' War, Volleyball, Freethrow Contest & More! 500 S. Texas Ave. 1 Block South of Bryan City Hall Call 779-7325 HOUSTON — Industry and government officials say there is no safer way to transport energy than through the nation’s vast network of underground pipelines — despite a pipeline explosion Thursday that leveled eight apartment buildings in New Jersey. Some 1.7 million miles of pipeline carry oil, gas and other fuels around the nation, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. Over the past decade, the federal agency says, there have been about 30 pipeline-related deaths, compared with hundreds for other such modes of transportation as rail and truck. “Considering the miles of pipeline we have in the United States, it's still by far the safest form of trans portation,” DOT spokeswoman Pat Klinger said. The section of line that ruptured and exploded near Edison, N.J., was inspected by DOT officials in 1987 and 1 992 and found to be in good shape, she said. Houston-based Texas Eastern Transmission Corp., which operates the 36-inch line, said it had thorough ly inspected the section in 1986. “It’s gotten a lot of attention over the last seven years. Two inspections from the feds as well as tk own inspection team that we monitor,” Klingersaid She and officials in the natural gas industry sail E ipeline ruptures rarely are caused by mechanicaldi ;cts. "Most accidents like this are caused by third-pan damage to the line” such as unauthorized digging said Julie Stewart, a spokeswoman for the Americai Gas Association. Texas Eastern spokesman Stewart Lawrence sai there was no immediate indication of what could hasi caused the explosion, which killed at least one persoi and destroyed the eight apartment buildings. He said the Texas-to-New York line, built in undergoes aerial examinations and other checks mad dition to the more thorough inspections. Texas Eastern was involved in several natural pipeline explosions in the mid-1980s, all of whit! were blamed on the company. In 1984, a Texas Eastern natural gas line ruptured and exploded near Jackson, La., killing five people ant injuring 23. An NTSB report faulted the company for failing t« properly install the 30-inch pipeline. Sho versit TONI CARR CLAY Opinioi T he tut ma .shment c ree exerci Our fot ;ary to prc Dver the y ’s origina ie battle i itate” has lovemen foutside th Such a: ice occu ad placed I Christian "riends” ents of vho. > axe i 1 and the w Resurrection Week Speakers Jay Carty, a former L.A. Laker, is the founder of Yes! Ministries. He is a gifted communicator with a great sense of humor who speaks all over the country. He is also the author of sev eral books, the latest of which is Playing With Fire:Do Nice People Really Go To Hell? Rudder Auditorium-Free Steve Camp is an accomplished Christian recording artist whose latest album, Taking Heaven by Storm, is currently in the Top 20 for contemporary Christian music. His hit single, ”He is Able” reached number one on the charts. Rudder Auditorium—$3 th othe Interes non-belie but other- daim that unable to member a The a Facul tisemi the er with i pious into tl rurthermc fjstudent w |ian profes |ue to the Drayton McLane is a very successful Christian businessman from Temple, Texas. He is the owner of the Houston Astros and the vice-chairman of Walmart. He was named entrepreneur of the year by A&M school of business this year. Beverages provided. MSC 292—Free Tom Landry, one of the winningest coaches in the history of the NFL, led the Dallas Cowboys to two Super Bowl victories over his twenty-nine year football career. He will be sharing how God has influenced his life. Rudder Auditorium—Free Dan Korem is a world-class illusionist and investigative journalist and author of several landmark texts on magic and illusion. He uses his craft to expose people to the truth of Christ. Rudder Auditorium—$3 Jon Randles, who will follow Landry on Wednesday night, is a dynamic speaker who loves college students. He is now a travelling speaker and is working on his Ph.D. in Ancient History. He recently returned from Isreal and Romania, where he was speaking and working with local churches. Rudder Auditorium-Free Laura Kates, a former LSD cheerleader, is a Sunday School/Bible study teacher from Houston, Texas, who uses her boundless ener gy and sense of humor to communicate her love for Jesus Christ. 601 Rudder-Free Frank Cox, Class of ’65 former Head Yell Leader, is one of A&M’s most popular alumni. Author of / Bleed Maroon, Frank was the fea tured speaker at Muster in 1992 as well as the speaker at Elephant Walk 1993. He will con clude Resurrection Week by speaking at the Crucifixion Scene. Rudder Fountain-Free KJ All events are ticketed, and tickets are available at the Rudder Box Office (845-1234). For more information, call the Resurrection Week Hotline 693-1829.
