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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (March 28, 1995)
ABOVE AND BEYOND TRAVEL AGENCY NOW OPEN Experienced Professional Agents For All Your Domestic and International Travel at the Lowest Available Fare Bilingual Services Provided Cancun Special ■ $299 Travel Consultants: Dorothy Hernandez Geraldine Hester-Baccus Irene Tank Carol Hernandez “Attend - Our Grand Opening March 28th at 11:30 A.M.” 4001 E. 29th St., Suite 114 Bryan, TX 77802 (409) 260-1267 • 1-800-229-7033 Most Major Credit Cards Accepted Page 8B • The Battalion March 28,199s| iesd We’re not in Kansas anymore • • □ A group of scientists will search for tornadoes this spring to find clues to the storms' behavior. WASHINGTON (AP) — While most Amer icans try to avoid tornadoes, a small army of scientists and students will swarm across the nation’s twister-prone middle this spring hoping to stand in storm’s way. In the second stage of a two-year effort, more than 100 students led by 20 scientists will pursue twisters over hundreds of miles, chasing, for days if necessary, across Okla homa, Texas, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa and possibly into Colorado. Meteorological students beg for a chance to approach these storms, said Howard Bluestein, a University of Oklahoma pro fessor who has been chasing tornadoes for 18 years. “If you know what you’re doing it’s not as dangerous as it seems on the surface,” added Harold Brooks, a meteorologist at the National Severe Storms Laboratory in Norman, Okla. People chase storms both for scientific curiosity and “a certain level of excite ment,” Brooks said. “If you have a reason able understanding of storm behavior, you can manage to put yourself in a safe posi tion for observation.” Years ago Bluestein and bands of students roamed ahead of twisters in pickup trucks, trying to put a “totable tornado observatory” (Toto) in the path of the storms, which re fused to cooperate. Now they will scatter arrays of small in struments along the roadway ahead of twisters “to increase the chance of getting near one of them.” In addition, airborne radars will probe the motions within the storms, instruments will be launched on balloons, and small Doppler radars developed by Bluestein will be de ployed on the ground to measure the wind. In 1991 one of these units clocked wind speeds LOS in a tornado at 286 mph. fe.sl Gi In the first field season last year therebluste] searchers tracked 11 storms, including ©uthe three tornadoes. ijonda The prime target is the supercell, a long its st£ lived severe thunderstorm that can gener jonly t ate tornadoes. While fewer than half of su-jin as percells produce tornadoes, when they do row. sprout a twister they are among the most Rob violent on Earth. dSrectc Last year the researchers were surprised jlockb by a twister near Archer City, Texas, that yvin be moved west, turned northwest and then west “I f< again. The storm defied the usual patternoi ing on tornadoes, which almost always move from southwest to northeast. Later analysis showed that that storm de veloped very suddenly, in less than five rair utes, in a manner quite different from thf thought to produce tornadoes. Bluestein said the twister develops near a gust front — an area of strorj winds — and that may have affected it unusual direction. effects lieveal costly CUNIDIIE SUN Get set for summer with our Sun-For-All workshop ■ Sun-For-All. The tan desired. The protection required. Clinique has always believed that sun care is key to skincare. At Clinique’s Sun-For-All workshops, you’ll learn the facts of life in the sun. Meet the lineup of Clinique’s sun blocks to answer your skin’s needs every minute under the sun. Call or stop by for an appointment today through Saturday, April 1. Sun Supplies include: Total Cover Sun Block SPF 30, 3 ounces, 12.50 Special Defense Sun Block SPF 25, 3 ounces, 13.50 Full Service Sun Block SPF 15, 3 ounces, 12.50 City Block SPF 15, 1.4 ounces, 13.50 For a fast, free skin analysis, visit the Clinique computer Dillard’s Descendant pays debt Bi em last ye AIDS i I ^ es best a Justr [Sky. B ;path shelve of stu< jirectc efore owed to Sam Houston □ The interest on the $100 debt totaled about $419,629,669. HOUSTON (AP) — It took 160 years, but pioneer Col. James J. Ross has finally made good on a $100 debt to legendary Texan Sam Houston. O.G. McClain, Ross’ great- great-grandson, recently paid the debt to Sam Houston IV, great-grandson of Texas’ first president. “I hate debts, and I feel sure Grandpappy Ross did, too,” Mc Clain wrote to Sam Houston IV, whom he met through the Sons of the Republic of Texas. “Even though we may be a little slow in making this payment, we want to square up this account.” McClain, an 84-year-old re tired geologist. great-great-grandfather was bom about 1787 in South Caroli na. He went from there to Tea nessee. Family lore says ts fought with Jackson in thek tie of New Orleans. Ross came to Texas by 1& and became one of Stephenl Austin’s first 300 settlers, es tablishing his home neartt- present site of Eagle Lake. Hf later moved to a site near Fayetteville. Houston came to Texask 1832 and eventually became commanding general of the Texas revolutionary arm; served as the republic's fini president and as one of the state’s first U.S. senators afte Texas joined the union. The long-overdue debt pay ment was donated to the Sam was a jood r “Tb honor film tl ture,” ously for Tbi "I have debts, and I feel sure Grandpappy Ross did, too. Even though we may be a little slow in emd h the is Sut- ma ^* n 8 this payment, we want to standing debt while looking over his ances tor’s estate in ventory. Records showed that Ross hadn’t paid the $100 to Houston when he was killed on Jan. 14, 1835. Neither Sam Houston IV, who lives in Katy, nor McClain, of Houston, knows how the debt was incurred. “Perhaps it was for a horse,” Houston said. “He was always buying and selling horses.” The descendants said Ross and Houston almost certainly knew each other. Both came to Texas from Tennessee and Arkansas and fought with An drew Jackson. McClain said he thinks his square up this account. — O. G. McClain, great-great-granh of James J. Ross, debtor to Sam Houstw Houston Museum in Huntsville. McClain said he wouldni even attempt to make goodoi the interest. At a rate that was probably about 10 percent, tki interest would have grown $419,629,669 over the past IS years. “There’s not enough money in Texas to pay for that,” Me Clain said. “I wasn’t interested in colled] ing interest,” said Sam Houston IV. “I was afraid that if I triedtfl do that I might have to settle up any old debts Gen. Sam migW have left behind.” Start Brewing Now For Aggieland Brewfest April 29th @ Carney’s Pub prizes - Prizes - Prizes Collegiate - Professor - Open Divisions Prizes for Most Creative Label Prizes for Most Creative Beer Name • Overall Winner will receive a trip for two to Jamaica • Second place wins a kegging system Listen to Mix 104.7 for further details. For information on becoming a judge read Study Breaks and register at Carney’s. Get your supplies at Home Brewers Supply 2307 Texas Ave. South (across from Fuddruckers) Open Tuesday - Friday 11-7 Saturday 12:00 - 6 , Closed Sunday & Monday 764-8486