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About Griffin daily news. (Griffin, Ga.) 1924-current | View Entire Issue (July 29, 1977)
Daily Since 1872 Heavy rainfall ends drought The slow soaking rain the Griffin area received this week brought relief to area fanners, but may mean problems for the home gardener, ac cording to County Extension Agent Jack Smith. The rain has been slow, soaked into the ground and there has been little runoff, Smith said. “This is the type of rain we need to restore moisture to the soil,” he said. The Spalding Forestry Unit on Ethridge Mill road recorded 2.54 inches of rain through 8 o’clock this morning and rain was falling at the time of the mid-morning report. Some areas of the county have received much more than this amount and other areas have received less. Smith said the rainfall this week has brought relief to the farmers by providing much needed moisture for soybeans and pastures. “It is too late to do any good for the com crop,” he said. The 2 and one-half inches of rain this week still leaves the area nearly 10 inches behind for the year, according to Smith. He said it was doubtful that this amount could be made up. Although the rain brought relief, farmers will have to continue feeding Sirens signal arrival of Alaska black gold VALDEZ, Alaska (AP) - Sirens wailed, horns honked, cheers erupted in bars. All signaled the first gush of “black gold” arriving here from Alaska’s Prudhoe Bay oil field. The oil arrived Thursday at 11:02 p.m. Alaskan time (4:02 a.m. EDT). “It’s here, it’s in,” said a technician in the control room of the trans-Alaska pipeline’s $1 billion terminus across the harbor from this scenic town. The oil — discovered nine years ago on the North Slope — took 38 days, 12 hours, and 56 minutes to travel the 800- mile, 48-inch, $7.7 billion pipeline. The journey was interrupted by several mishaps, including a pump station explosion that killed one worker and reduced the line’s pumping capacity by one-third. For Henry Mowell and Alyeska Pipeline Service Co. technicians at the terminal, Thursday was a day of restless anticipation and work, not M Ml J Mi - * -*3lW| **’’ S •£’ H 9. acMKSBmE . ■ >™ 1 MLkv - <» «3sfc_ -«p < w« dr ■ * *”* K ' i., i &ML x* - -s*> ‘Smoking pot’ “I don’t see how anybody could smoke this”, Narcotics Officer David Head seems to be thinking as he sets fire to 45 marijuana plants. The illegal weeds were found growing in a plot off Riveree road in West Spalding County. Looking on is Lee Oxford, also with the sheriff department’s Narcotics Division. DAILY#NEWS hay and supplements. Smith said it will take 10 days to 2 weeks for the grasses in the pastures to recover. “The pasture grasses are in bad condition and it is going to take time for them to recover now that there is some moisture in the ground,” he said. The rain is expected to help make the local soybean crop. However, it will depend on the area getting additional rainfall in the weeks ahead. Smith said the rain also will help the area recover some of the hay crops. The rain may bring problems for the home gardener in the form of diseases and insects. The hot, dry weather had helped control the insects and diseases. Conditions will be ideal for them after the rainfall. “Gardeners should keep a close watch on their gardens for insects and disease and keep them under control,” Smith said. The 2 and one-half inches of rain this week was the most the Griffin area has received in any weeks since early April. The area had received some isolated showers, but not enough to keep the area from drying up under tem peratures that reached 100 degrees on several occasions earlier this month. celebration. Mowell, Alyeska’s vice president for operations, and the others would rather see oil going than coming. “The best thing I can imagine is seeing the rear end of a loaded tanker heading out of Valdez,” said Mowell. That shouldn’t take long. An Atlantic Richfield supertanker, the 120,000-ton Arco Juneau bound from the firm’s Cherry Point, Wash., refinery, will be loaded about three days after oil begins filling storage tanks here. The crude will be the first shipments from what is estimated to be a nine billion barrel field at Prudhoe Bay along the Arctic Ocean. In the pipe line’s present configuration, Alyeska hopes to deliver 800,000 barrels a day to Valdez. The pipeline startup ordeal, which began June 20 at Prudhoe Bay, was as frustrating for Alyeska as was con struction of the line, the largest privately financed construction project in history. GRIFFIN Griffin, Ga., 30223, Friday Afternoon, July 29, 1977 f ‘• ■ < ■* /■ /*. •. '****•■♦ ’4 • ■ •■•• •. v -i-. Ralph Jones, Randy Piland, Newton Crouch, Jr. and David Brown (1-r) run for health’s sake. Running is not a new fad, but it is a new system for exercising in which more and more people are par ticipating. Griffinites are running for different reasons, but most have at least one common denominator for running — relaxation. Runners interviewed by the Griffin Daily News said running helps them unwind and gives them a feeling of “peace” at the end of a busy work day. Most of Griffin’s runners are running from 20 to 100 miles per week. Their reasons for getting involved in a running program are varied. Some need the exercise provided by running and some are running as part of a weight control program. Others are running as part of physical fitness programs they have carried over from high school and college. One of those who is running as a carryover from college is Ralph Jones who was a marathon runner at Auburn University. He prefers running in cool weather and swimming in the summer. Jones said there is a difference in jogging and running. “Jogging is when a person can walk faster than they can Bandits have problem PARIS (AP) — Somewhere today four bandits sit and consider their loot — 17 tons of shiny new coins, worth $3.54 million. They may know what they’re going to do with the heavy haul, but to others it’s a mystery. “You can’t buy a chateau, a car or even a pair of crocodile shoes with bags of change,” the newspaper L’Aurore reminded them in an open letter. “And even if you go out to celebrate your coup, the owner of the smallest case will start to suspect before you drop the 10th coin on the bar.” “Please write to us and tell us how on earth you are going to get rid of it,” the newspaper suggested. Lightning struck, chemical exploded, debris buried man Survivor describes brushes with death BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) - “If anybody doesn’t believe in God, then let them get buried alive. They’ll either pray or do something like that,” Frank Gilbert said Thursday from his hospital bed. People ••• and things Children on Dobbins Mill Road en joying splashing in puddle after general rain falls in Griffin area. Truck horn sounding in downtown Griffin in response to motions of two little girls in back of pickup truck. Women in produce section of grocery store expressing hope the rain will help to reduce the price by increasing the supply of fresh vegetables. What to do with 17 tons of coins? run,” he said. He said he began running because he saw others doing it. After he began a running program Jones found he had a feeling of peace at the end of the run. Newton Crouch Jr. is another of Griffin’s runners who feels running helps to get work off his mind at the end of the day. “It gives you a chance to unwind,” he said. Crouch and several other of Griffin’s runners had words of advice for the beginner runner: “Do not exceed your limits and have a good pair of running shoes.” Crouch said he loves to run because it is a form of exercise that has helped in his weight control program and he can pick his own pace and it fits with his love of the outdoors. Butch Dixon and Dick Slade said the beginning runner should get a physical examination and run according to a doctor’s advice. Slade said running is one of the less strenuous exercises because the runner is able to maintain a constant heartbeat. Slade also uses running as part of a weight control program. Tilman Blakely Jr. has been running The gangsters hijacked a semitrailer truck carrying the coins as it left the Gare de Lyon railroad station here Thursday, headed for the Paris headquarters of the Bank of France. The coins were in a container that had been shipped by rail overnight from a mint in southern France. Identical to thousands of other containers on the French rail system, it was deliberately left unguarded so it would not attract attention. It was labeled “fabricated metal” and, the bank said, it was insured only for the value of the metal in the coins, not their monetary value, which is higher. The loot was largely in 10-franc Gilbert of Riverside, Ala., had sur vived three brushes with death Wed nesday: Lightning hit near him, 200 pounds or so of ammonium nitrate blew up beneath him and he was buried beneath tons of dirt and debris. Frank Gilbert Vol. 105 No. 178 as part of his weight control program and said running has made it easier for him to control the intake of high calorie foods. He encouraged new runners to do proper stretching exercises before and after running. Roger Huff says he feels the runner who runs only 2 miles is partly defeating the purpose of running since he believes the first two miles are the toughest. “It is much easier after the first 2 miles because the runner gains a rhythm to his running and breathing is easier,” he said. Hot weather has not stopped Griffin’s runners. They feel that running in the hot weather is just as important as it is in cool weather. Although he runs throughout the year, Newton Crouch says the ideal temperature for running is about 45 degrees. The runners’ words of caution to the new runner included good running shoes, good exercises before running, begin slow and advance the running distance slowly, set a goal for the running program at the beginning, be cautious not to push the body beyond its limits and have a physical examination and follow the doctor’s advice. pieces, each worth about $2. They were recently put into circulation to replace notes and have proved unpopular with the public because they are smaller than coins of half the value and are confusing in a pocketful of change. The driver, Jean Trottin, 51, said he simply rolled his truck into the Gare de Lyon freight yard, the container was loaded onto the rig in 15 minutes, and he drove out, unarmed and alone. The hijackers, who officials said must have been following a carefully devised plan based on inside in formation, got an unexpected break when another truck stalled in front of Trottin’s rig. “I did a lot of praying, I don’t mind telling you,” he said. He was in good condition with back and shoulder injuries at a Birmingham hospital Thursday. Gilbert, 38, has been handling ex plosives for 20 years. He said he has seen at least two people killed in similar explosions, and has been in the vicinity of several set off by lightning. “But that’s the first load I was standing on when it went off. We were using electrical caps, which can be set off by a lightning strike as far as five miles away if the electrical current travels in that direction,” he said. He was working on a widening project on U.S. 280 in Shelby County, south of Birmingham. An explosives expert for Southeast Contractors Inc., Gilbert was standing directly on top of the load — equivalent to about 75 cases of dynamite — as it was being (Continued on page 2) Weather FORECAST FOR GRIFFIN AREA — Showers and a few thundershowers today, diminishing tonight. Partly cloudy and wanner Saturday with a chance of showers. High today upper 70s. Low tonight upper 60s. High Thursday at the Spalding Forestry Unit 73. Low today 66. Rainfall .55 of an inch. The runners said the new runner could expect some aches and pains in the first few weeks of a running program until the leg muscles are expanded. Butch Dixon said the words of caution to the new runner were for his own good. “It is like building a house. You must have a good foundation to be a good runner.” Most of Griffin’s runners do their running in the afternoon or early evening. However, there are some who are running in the morning. They agreed that the time of day was primarily preference of the individual. The runners agreed that they liked running because they could change the scenery by changing their place of running and that it was unlike other exercise programs because it was a repetition of the same thing. They also chose running because the runner could set a goal and expand it if needed to meet his individual need and to give personal satisfaction. Also, most of Griffin’s runners are on the highways, streets and byways of the city and county five and six days each week. The gang grabbed the two drivers as they talked, drove off with them and the truck and released them 30 minutes later. Meanwhile, one of the bandits disappeared with the truck into the traffic of Paris. “They didn’t hit me or molest me,” said Trottin. “They were relaxed, whistling in the car as they drove out to the outskirts of town. They seemed to know exactly where they were going.” A special anti-gangster brigade today led police in a search of the greater Paris area, looking for a hideout big enough to hold the container while it was unloaded. The Country Parson by Frank Clark ~, ,m i. )*«*>•* “If you could see yourself as your neighbors do, you’d probably wonder why they hadn’t moved.”
