Newspaper Page Text
Orchard Hill Baptist Church dedication set. Page 2.
Inside Tip
Nixon
See Page 5
Bill Byram
Skylab crewmen
are on their way
CAPE CANAVERAL (UPI)
— Three rookie astronauts
rocketed smoothly into orbit
today on the final flight in
America’s ambitious space
station project, a holiday-time
voyage that could last a record
three months.
Skylab 3 commander Gerald
P. Carr, physicist Edward G.
Gibson and pilot William R.
Pogue, on the nation’s last
scheduled space voyage until
1975, raced toward a late
afternoon rendezvous with the
orbiting lab.
“Good smooth ride, Hous
ton,” Carr reported as the
astronauts’ Apollo command
ship soared into a 95-mile-high
JBjVews
By United Press International
23 killed in fire
LOS ANGELES (UPI) — Fire raged through a three
story frame apartment building early today. The Fire
Department said there were at least 23 dead, including 8
or 9 children, and 15 injured. Some of the victims were
burned in their beds; others leaped to their deaths.
Bodies lay in piles on the street as the first firemen
arrived, and Fire Chief Ray Hill said, “It’s the worst fire
we have ever had in this city.”
Skylab 3 set
CAPE CANAVERAL (UPI) - The Skylab 3 space
launch was set to rocket into space this morning carrying
a confident crew of rookie astronauts, the final visitors to
the orbiting research ship and America’s last spacemen
until 1975.
Communities conserve fuel
Communities trying to conserve fuel have reduced gar
bage pickups, extinguished an “eternal flame,” turned off
neon signs, and in one case ordered municipal workers to
ride bicycles instead of staff cars to work, a UPI survey
shows.
The energy shortage was not confined to the United
States. In Paris, top economic experts from 24 nations met
to determine how the fuel shortages and skyrocketing
energy prices would affect their economies.
Nixon to decide
WASHINGTON (UPI) — The Senate wants President
Nixon to be able to decide whether or not to ration
gasoline. It defeated a proposal Thursday to force
rationing into being by Jan. 15. In another development,
Nixon said he will sign the Alaska pipeline bill, despite his
opposition to consumer protection provisions, which some
thought would lead to a veto.
Israel exchanges prisoners
Israel exchanged a second group of war prisoners with
Egypt today. Egypt freed 27 Israeli captives during the
morning and Israel released 240 Egytians in the second
day of a Cairo-Tel Aviv prisoner airlift run by the
International Red Cross. Defense Minister Moshe Dayan
reported what he called a “far reaching” offer to Syria
aimed at obtaining an exchange of prisoners seized on the
northern front.
aHe
L <ML
Mike Hornsby
orbit at 9:11 a.m. EST. “This is
really great.’’
The rocket, plagued by
structural cracks and a fuel
tank problem during the last
weeks of checkout, worked
flawlessly.
The astronauts’ Apollo,
packed with extra food, film
and repair gear, pulled away
from the spent second stage of
the Saturn 25 minutes after
launch and Carr reported the
maneuver went smoothly.
The pilots then settled down
and made the initial navigation
measurements designed to help
their on-board computer direct
the way to Skylab during a
five-orbit chase.
GRIFFIN
Daily Since 1872
John (Pete) Moon
The big space station has
been circling earth unoccupied
for seven weeks since the
Skylab 2 astronauts’ record 59-
day journey that proved man
can withstand long weightles
sness. The Skylab 3 crewmen
plan to remain in space at least
60 days.
Once the pilots were safely in
space, President Nixon sent the
space agency a message
praising the Skylab project.
“The final manned flight of
the Skylab program should
bring to a close the single most
productive program in the
history of man’s quest for
knowledge about himself and
his world,” the President said.
Farmers
struggle
with fuel
By United Press International
Georgia farmers are strug
gling because of the fuel short
age but most are getting 80 to
90 per cent of the fuel they
received last year and no one
is expected to have to shut
down completely.
“The situation is critical, and
is going to remain critical,”
said Paul Holmes of the Agri
cultural Stabilization and Con
servation Service in Athens.
“But generally speaking I do
not know of any farmers that
have to totally shut down for
any length of time because
they were unable to get fuel.”
Holmes said part of the prob
lem lies in the fact that farm
ers are trying to increase pro
duction 12 to 15 per cent after
an off year last year because
of the weather. They are left
short of needed fuel because
allocations are made on the
basis of what they used last
year.
“Last year we had a wet fall
and winter, and farmers just
didn’t use as much as they’re
going to need this year with
the weather dry,” Holmes said.
“What we need is three or
four days of rain so the har
vest could stop for awhile, to
let the reserves catch up,” he
said.
“A fellow ought to stick with
active friends — so if he dies
someone will notice it.”
Griffin, Ga., 30223, Friday, November 16, 1973
Ma Bell will spend
$8 -million in Griffin
Southern Bell has created a
new district office in Griffin in
order to serve better Griffin and
the 14 other towns comprising
the new district, according to
Roland Knight, Southern Bell
general manager for outstate
Georgia. The new district will
go into operation effective Dec.
1.
“The creation of this new
district,” said Knight, “is
another indication of how
rapidly this area is growing.
The 15 communities in the
Griffin district will have almost
70,000 telephones.”
Bill Byram, presently Griffin
manager for the company, has
been appointed district
manager of the new district. It
will include Barnesville,
Concord, Covington, Eatonton,
Forsyth, Gay, Greensboro,
Griffin, Jackson, Madison,
Monticello, Rutledge, Social
Circle, Woodbury and Zebulon.
All of the towns are now a part
of the Macon and Athens
districts.
Mike Hornsby, presently
supervising plant manager for
the company’s Covington and
Griffin areas, will be the district
plant manager with responsibil
ity for all plant operations. John
(Pete) Moon, presently district
engineer in Rome for Southern
Bell, will be the district
engineer for the new Griffin
district.
During the next 11 years,
Southern Bell predicts the new
Griffin district will double the
number of telephones the
company served in the 15
communities on Jan. 1, 1973,
according to Knight. He said
this is the primary reason for
the creation of the district.
According to Knight,
Southern Bell will be spending
more than $23 million on new
construction in the new Griffin
district during 1973-75. More
than $8 million of this will be
spent in Griffin.
“This is part,” he added, “of
the $956.6 million Southern Bell
is spending on construction
statewide during the next three
years.”
“Work is under way on equip
ment addition,” said Knight,
“in our $963,200 switching
center addition in Griffin and
the cost of this new equipment is
$637,300. In addition, almost $l
- is being spent this year
on new cable construction in
Griffin.
“Earlier this year,” said
Knight, “the company spent
$194,000 on conduit and cable
construction on West Poplar
street to service telephone
customers west of our central
office. We also spent $60,000 to
bury cable on State Route 16 to
1-75. Currently under way are
conduit and cable construction
totaling $200,000, one on South
Hill street and the other from
the Southern Bell business
office to Milner street. In ad
dition, about one-half million
dollars will be spent on smaller
cable jobs throughout Griffin.”
Knight said next year the
company would spend ap
proximately $1 million on addi
tional cable construction.
Prior to coming to Griffin in
June, Byram, who joined
Southern Bell in 1959 after
graduating from Emory
University, was a commercial
supervisor in Southern Bell’s
area office in Atlanta.
Over the years he has served
in managerial positions in
Athens, Columbus and
LaGrange, in addition to
Atlanta and Griffin. He has
served as a vice president of the
Cobb County Chamber of
Commerce and on the board of
directors of both the Kiwanis
Club and the Cobb County
Cancer Society. He and his wife,
the former Mary Tom Peter
man, are the parents of two
children, Laura, 10 and Whit, 8.
They are Methodists.
Moon, a graduate of Auburn,
joined Southern Bell in 1956, and
shortly thereafter went on
active duty for two years as a
first lieutenant with the U. S.
Army. After serving in various
engineering capacities with the
company in Atlanta, he was
named engineer in Marietta and
in 1971 he was named district
engineer in Rome. He and his
wife, Catherine are the parents
of two children, Beth and John.
They are Methodists.
Hornsby, prior to coming to
Griffin earlier this year, was
formerly a training supervisor
at Southern Bell’s Plant
Training Center in Atlanta. He
joined Southern Bell in 1966 as
an installer-repairman and,
after holding several positions
with the company, was named a
supervisor at the Plant Training
Center in 1972. He is a Baptist.
“We are delighted to have a
part to play in the growth of this
dynamic area of the state,” said
Knight. “Our new district is a
sign of our confidence in the
future of this area and of our
state.”
Prisoners
battle
beetles
ATLANTA (UPI) — The state
has begun using convicts to
battle the spreading infestation
of pine beetles.
Four teams of eight convicts
each will be used in seven
counties to clear 50-100-foot
buffer zones and chop down
infected trees.
Gov. Jimmy Carter, who
declared the counties a disaster
area, okayed use of convicts to
work on private property be
cause a number of timber
owners requested emergency
help. State law normally pro
hibits prisoners from working
/On private property.
The men from the Georgia
Industrial Institution at Alto
and the Training and Develop
ment Center at Buford will be
working in Franklin, Clarke,
Elbert, Hall, Hart, Madison and
Oconee counties.
Brown files
for funding
of center
Rep. Clayton Brown today
filled a special amendment to
the General Assembly’s 1974
appropriations bill asking
$550,000 for the construction of a
regional juvenile detention
center for the Griffin area.
Rep. Brown estimates the
move could, if passed, have
such a center operational in
Griffin within little over a year.
He said that he would be in
contact with other area
lawmakers seeking support for
the amendment.
Department of Human
Resources spokesmen have said
that a center located in Griffin
would have to serve 13 counties.
Weather
ESTIMATED HIGH TODAY
65, low today 49, high yesterday
55, low yesterday 49, total
rainfall .18 of an inch, high
tomorrow near 60, low tonight in
upper 30s, sunrise tomorrow
7:14, sunset tomorrow 5:32.
Vol. 101 No. 273
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Firemen enter the gutted three story apartment building
near downtown Los Angeles.
L.A. fire toll
climbs to 23
LOS ANGELES (UPI) - A
fire described as the worst in
the city’s history raced through
a three-story frame apartment
building early today, killing
residents in their beds while
others jumped to their deaths
trying to escape the flames.
The Fire Department said at
least 23 persons were killed,
including eight or nine children,
and more than 30 other persons
were injured.
“The place was loaded with
kids, unfortunately, and we lost
some of them,” said Fireman
Steve Varney.
The blaze erupted in the
middle of the H-shaped Strat
ford Apartments, a wooden
building housing 120 to 150
residents, most of them Mexi
can-American.
“When we arrived there were
people hanging from windows
and jumping or falling. There
were civilians standing beneath
them with blankets, trying to
catch them, or yelling at them
Push for center
to be organized
Georgia Department of Hu
man Resources representatives
said yesterday that a solution to
Griffin’s need for a juvenile
detention center is at least two
years away.
Speaking before interested
parties from Pike, Spalding,
Upson, and Fayette Counties,
Youth Services Director
Charles Ray presented a study
showing the need for a regional
juvenile detention facility for
Griffin and the surrounding
area, but said that Gov. Jimmy
Carter opposed such building
programs.
Ray explained that a grass-
in Spanish to stay in the
building as long as they could—
not to jump,” Varney said.
Fire Chief Ray Hill said, “It’s
the worst fire we have ever had
in this city.” He said firemen
found 11 bodies on the third
floor alone.
Francis Thibodeaux, 48, who
was not home when the fire
began, said his wife broke her
arm falling out of the window
of their first-floor apartment.
He said his wife told him at the
hospital that “she heard a big
explosion and the building
shook.”
“Everything was quick,” said
Vince Alvarez, who also lived
on the first floor with his wife
Cristina and son Porgy, 15.
“I was asleep, and when I got
up to get some water, I saw
smoke and fire in the hallway.
People were screaming and
there was fire all over.
“I screamed to my wife
‘Let’s go!’ After I got my wife
roots movement would be
necessary to swing legislative
support for a 30-bed, $450,000
complex.
He said if appropriations
could be approved in the up
coming General Assembly, a
center could be built and
operational within 15 to 18
months.
Judge Andrew Whalen asked
if something could not be done
sooner to keep from housing
juveniles in county and city
jails.
The average stay is 6-8 weeks.
Ray pledged his administra
tive help, but said any sort of
Forecast
Cooler
See Page 5
and son out, I was coming out
the window and a lady that
jumped almost hit me. She had
a baby in her arms and she
threw it to my son and he
caught the baby.”
Witnesses said when the first
firemen arrived bodies lay in
piles on the street. Bodies were
stacked by firemen in a
makeshife morgue across the
street from the building and
covered by white sheets and
green tarpaulins.
Most of those who survived
lived near fire escapes, survi
vors said.
Two firemen were injured.
One suffered a burned hand
and the other was struck on the
helmet by burning debris, a
spokesman said.
Hill said the building’s open
stairway helped the rapid
spread of the fire to upper
floors. Forty units were sum
moned to fight the fire, which
was extinguished in 40 minutes.
temporary facility would in
volve prohibitive costs.
He estimated to convert an
existing building would cost
almost as much as building a
new one, and staffing costs
would rise from $150,000 to
$210,000 a year.
Ray said the state could not
help defray the cost of either
renting or staffing a temporary
facility.
The state department of
ficials said state licensing
requirements would eliminate
the possibility of any private
group’s offering shelter service
(Continued on page 3)