Newspaper Page Text
Forecast
Cold
Map Page 20
| |
I More pictures
| of Zetella I
I
I . » I
on page eight
< w t p- L/Aißir '
fir*.- ■ i HB
U^ZkX vi
Bf*?-’"' <s>-"dh\ -*5 .Wh >\ "*ww»l L**
B-B^W**-• ■' A*. /
w7 MjaW|
- ~ BJB A,
B ‘ "'**’'
— -
H l .. -..,a, ■■•*"<”■ w'-i'-
' Ajy'" ' *n^^'« -nfeiMwtei ’ ♦ >■*-
,•. • . ..- ->g&Ug>v
gwAW:.. ’.-. _ ... - .-■ ...■■arpk *X!K»« •!••?s.'-'•’•> **Ote
~~~~ + ■ ■ -I
■ V3 y .< ’ Wcm'-z^tW..-- ■ . .\ kfl '" -
- *-^BBBBBBBr^ v >
Frank Crowder looks over what was left of his son’s mobile home.
Connector
target 1980
The proposed connector high
way from Griffin to 1-75 should
be completed before 1980,
according to the State Highway
Department.
Two engineers from the
Department of Transportation
met with city and county com
missioners and Chamber of
Commerce representatives
yesterday and discussed the
route.
They said the state will begin
acquiring rights of way in
September. Construction should
start in the summer of 1977 with
the completion date expected
about two and a half years from
then.
The proposed route begins off
Memorial drive, south of Blake
Building Supply Co. It would
run north through the Blake
property across Wilson road,
span the railroad tracks and Old
Orchard Hill road with a large
bridge, to Rehoboth, then to
Barrow road, and on to 1-75.
The highway from Memorial
drive to Barrow road will be
four lanes. From there it will
become two lanes to the inter
state, as present traffic does not
justify four lanes all the way.
There will be free access to all
parts, except that running
through the Blake property,
which the owners hope will be
used as an industrial park.
The proposed South Gate
Industrial park affects some 240
acres bounded by Old U. S. 41
south, Hudson road, Wilson
road and property facing
Hamilton boulevard. The
connector would run almost
through its center.
Alfred Bolton of Griffin
Engineering explained the
layout of the highway through
the property which he said will
provide maximum use of the
land as an industrial park.
A spur railroad line will serve
the north side of the park.
The Chamber of Commerce is
pushing for the development of
the park. Asked how it would be
financed, Chamber President
Scott Searcy said they were
thinking in terms of a joint
venture with interested citizens,
perhaps a non profit corpora
tion, who would donate money
or sign notes to secure funds for
its development.
He explained that industries
don’t want to come look at raw
land. They want to see a
developed site with paved
streets, utilities and a rail line.
They would not commit
themselves to move to a site
without facilities, he said.
Otis Blake, Jr., said that if the
concept is approved, a portion
could be developed at a time.
“It needs to be a community
project... It needs the blessing
of the community to be a
success,’’ he said.
Northgate merchants helping home
The merchants association at
Northgate Shopping Center
learned about a special home in
Griffin and they wanted to help.
But through a misunder
standing their good intentions
got off track. The merchants
want to clear up the matter.
The home is at 435 South Hill
street and operates under the
State Department of Human
Resources.
It’s called a group home.
Its purpose is to provide a
place for rehabilitated
adolescents discharged from a
DAILY
Vol. 103 No. 42
Tornado rips through
Zetella community
k. it.
*"•4 t
m® .....—| *
jl v z i
. . .■ . - ■
Capt. Larry Howard (1) and John McCullough at the Howard mobile home
after the storm.
mental institution who have no
place to go because they have
no family or home.
Mrs. Melrose Spangler is in
charge. Working with her are
five house parents. They are:
Mrs. Dell Scott, Miss Diane
Whittington, Mrs. Brenda
Gatlin, Mrs. Jackie Rogers and
Mrs. Mary Stone.
Some of the house parents
were at Northgate asking if they
might get a discount on some
items for the home.
Al Turner, manager of
Griffin, Ga., 30223, Wednesday Afternoon, February 19,1975
Eckerd’s Drugs, said he would
see if other merchants would
help, too. They agreed.
Some donated clothing.
Others donated other things to
help out.
Some put out collection boxes
in their stores with signs ex
plaining that contributions for
the home would be accepted.
The project was going well.
But then the Griffin Area
Chapter for Retarded Citizens
put out an announcement
Monday that some people were
going house to house collecting
GRIFFIN
NEWS
money in the name of the
mental health program here.
No such solicitations have been
authorized, the GARC said.
They asked the sheriff’s
department to look into the
matter.
Somehow, some people got
the impression that the Nor
thgate project was related.
It is not.
Contributions to the Nor
thgate project came nearly to a
halt.
Sheriff’s officials, trying to
Daily Since 1872
The repair of houses and
mobile homes damaged when a
tornado swept through the
Zetella area yesterday after
noon continued today.
The storm demolished one
mobile home and damaged
others.
It damaged the roofs of
houses in the area, too.
G. L. Howard who lives at
Zetella was being treated at the
Griffin-Spalding Hospital today
for injuries suffered in the
storm.
The tornado pushed his
mobile home off its foundation
and twisted it out of shape. A
tree in front of the dwelling
toppled.
Mr. Howard is the father of
Capt. Larry Howard of the
Griffin Police Department.
Capt. Howard was at the home
of his father and mother shortly
after the twister hit.
His mother was at work in
Griffin at the time.
John McCullough, retired
policeman who lives nearby,
agreed to stay at the Howard
home for security while Capt.
Howard went to the hospital to
see about his father.
A house next door under
construction didn’t appear to be
damaged. Griffin businessman
Jeff Leverett is constructing it.
A house painter working in
the area before the storm struck
said the twister came across
Anderson’s Lake.
He said it pulled the water up
into the shape of a funnel as it
crossed the lake.
The path of the tornado was
along Highway 16 in the Zetella
area. It struck from the west.
track down the unauthorized
GARC solicitors, called to see
exactly what Northgate was
doing.
The merchants explained.
The project is strictly on the
up and up.
Having explained that they
are not in any way related to the
problem the GARC was having,
now the Northgate merchants
want to get on with their project
of helping the group house.
They hope people will under
stand and support their efforts.
Inside Tip
Tuxes
See Page 27
West of Zetella, the storm
destroyed the mobile home of
Bob Crowder.
Mr. and Mrs. Crowder had
left for Griffin before the storm
struck.
Mr. Crowder’s father, Frank,
who lives nearby looked over
what was left of his son’s home.
“If they had been in it, they
would have been killed,” he
said.
Frank Crowder said his son,
daughter-in-law and grandchild
would stay at his home until
they could get relocated.
Highway Department repair
crews were busy minutes after
the storm struck. They went
into action to clear the highway
o r litter.
Ft. Valley
clean-up
under way
FORT VALLEY, Ga. (UPI)
— Civil Defense workers went
back through the rubble of this
tornado-buffeted city today to
see if there were any buried
victims of the storm which
claimed one life and injured
perhaps as many as 100.
A violent twister swept
through the central Georgia
community of about 15,000 late
Tuesday afternoon, leaving an
estimated 50 per cent of the
downtown area and about 35
homes either damaged or
destroyed.
Mayor Paul Rheeling said the
damage could be $1 million and
engineers from surrounding
cities and towns were surveying
the destruction. Gov. George
Busbee, who was to inspect
Fort Valley today, declared the
city an emergency area as a
preliminary step to seeking
federal disaster aid.
Civil Defense officials said at
least 38 persons were treated at
hospitals with 14 admitted.
Many more were treated for
superficial wounds at makeshift
aid stations.
About 400 homeless persons
were fed at a local school
Tuesday night and another 250
were expected for breakfast
today.
Utility crews working through
the night restored much of the
electricity in residential areas
while portable National Guard
floodlights were employed in
the downtown area for clearing
the streets of downed trees and
power lines and the mass of
debris from damaged buildings.
The tornado, cutting a path
about 100 yards wide, swirled
into Fort Valley at 4:10 p.m.
and one witness, Tommy Jones
of Fort Valley, said he first
thought about trying to outrun
it in his car.
“The wind started blowing
and I just got down in my car
seat,” Jones said. “Thank God
for me living.”
He said the twister looked
“like a big ball of wind. You
could see it twisting like a top.”
Administrator D. R. Whitley
of the Peach County Hospital
said 14 persons were admitted
here. Two were taken to
hospitals in nearby Macon and
one to Warner Robins.
The dead man, who was not
identified, was taken directly to
a funeral home.
First aid and Red Cross
stations were set up for minor
injuries, Whitley said.
Whitley said the hospital had
been operating on two emergen
cy power systems and a few
portable systems since the
tornado hit at 4 p.m.
“It came about half a mile to
Griffin Police joined the
Spalding Sheriff’s Department
and State Troopers along the
route to maintain a traffic flow
while highway workers cleared
the route.
The storm smashed down
several small sheds and barns.
Tin apparently blown from
bam roofs ended up in a clump
of huge trees along the highway.
The storm in Spalding County
struck around 1:30 p.m. well
before the killer tornado hit in
Ft. Valley, Ga.
Lightning and thunder
rumbled through most of the
night in Griffin, causing some
concern among people of this
tornado conscious community.
the hospital,” he said. “It was
too close.”
“We ran to the back and lay
down on the floor in a safe spot
until it blew over,” said Mrs.
Bob Gilbreath, an employe of
the weekly Peach County
Enterprise.
“Our front windows were
busting out. My husband saw it
coming and the wind started
blowing,” she said.”
Gov. George Busbee, who
was catching a plane back from
Washington, said he was
sending an administrative as
sistant here Tuesday night and
would arrive himself early
Wednesday.
State Patrol, volunteer Na
tional Guard units and Civil
Defense units from at least five
areas were dispatched to the
town to assist local au
thorities. All exits to the area
from 1-75 were blocked.
Earlier Tuesday, a small
tornado turned over several
trailers when it touched down
in Griffin. No one was seriously
injured and no heavy damage
reported.
Club seeks
clothing
for Ft. Valley
The Spalding BPW Club
announced today it would
gather clothing for Ft. Valley
tornado victims.
It may be taken to 118 North
Hill (Blazer Finance) until 5
p.m. daily. Mary Barineau,
Norma Lenhart and Barbara
Inman will handle pick-up
requests after 6 p.m. by phone
at their homes.
Weather
ESTIMATED HIGH TODAY
68, low today 53, high yesterday
70, low yesterday 53, high
tomorrow in mid 50s, low
tonight in mid 30s, total rainfall
1.03 inches. Sunrise tomorrow
7:22, sunset tomorrow 6:22.
“Often the difference between
a successful person and a
failure is which one got tired
first”