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Remember to cast your ballots Tuesday ‘ .M 7 «” MM- , M'" ■'. Kelley Barnes * ' I - ■ Lake .M HI /i whe,e Eaf,hen 'V jfl y Dam Burst , IL ’ I Toccoa Falls'J(|| - . FL w» I ■?m®SStV4S! M9F < n r 1 All > ■ Dormitories J* ..... J •* Hr < I SR? A \fl" L jSd* W Mkfifl Houses wi fj .'Toccoa FallsßL \' . and a; V /J" Bible CollegeUß fl* ~Ar i HL^SMftSI Mobdej^jl !■>- i mi I ■a „<.„., » _ Ji ■ *** . ' \k*£ ' -wMWMF 7, Rick Wilson with puppy Sheba stands where home once stood.(AP) Former home of Griffinite swept away; family killed Mrs. Charles A. Walters will remember Saturday night for a long time. The house she lived in before her marriage and the home her parents lived in until June of this year was destroyed in the flood at Toccoa. The family living in the house was killed by the waters from the lake upstream when the dam broke. Mrs. Walters was in Toccoa Sunday and helped identify some of the victims who were friends and former neigh bors. Sunshine to brighten Griffin area Tuesday Griffinites welcomed the forecast of sunshine for Tuesday, having gone through a full weekend of rain. The Spalding Forestry unit recorded .23 of an inch of rain Sunday and .56 of an inch Saturday. This was in addition to the 4.35 reported Friday and early Saturday morning. This area of the state is not bothered with flood threats and was not during the latest surge of rain that swelled streams and lakes in this section. Sports fans made it through the The Country Parson by Frank <’.lark ■BO" “A minister could serve members better if they’d talk to him as honestly as they do to their bartenders.” DAHY Daily Since 1872 The home Mrs. Walters had lived in was found a mile down the river. It had been pushed there by a 30-foot wall of water. Residents of the house, Bill Ehren sberger, 28, his wife, Peggy, 27, and their children, Robert, Christi and Kenny, all of Toccoa Falls were killed. A couple, known to residents of the community as “uncle and aunt” were amont Mrs. Walters’ friends who were killed. They were Mary Williams, 75, and Paul Williams, 76. Mr. William’s body had not been found early today. Griffin-North Clayton football game in Jonesboro Saturday night without a drop of rain. But some Griffinites got wet at the Dixie 500 race at Atlanta International Raceway in Hampton Sunday af ternoon. The race was run under threatening skies and showers stopped it on oc casions. Many motorists got trucks and cars stuck in the soft parking areas around the track and kept wreckers busy pulling them out of the mire. Elsewhere in Georgia, the Associated Press reported: As much as one inch of rain was Carter cancels his trip WASHINGTON (AP) - The State Department announced today that President Carter has decided to postpone his foreign tour set for later this month because he wants to remain in Washington while Congress con siders his energy program. The announcement confirmed earlier reports that Carter was going to scrap the tour of nine nations. GRIFFIN Griffin, Ga., 30223, Monday Afternoon, November 7,1977 i Mrs. Walters married in 1974 and I moved from the home where the f Ehrensbergers were living. Her parents moved from the house in June or July. I I Mrs. Walters was a resident of Toccoa Falls for 20 years before , moving to Griffin in February. I I “We saw some of the people there and helped to identify some of the victims. , It is truly a night we will long remember,” she said. expected before rains diminished today in the extreme northern part of Georgia, including Toccoa, where a dam broke and flooded a college campus Sunday killing at least 37 persons. The National Weather Service said a flash flood watch was continued above a line extending from Rome to Athens to Lake Clark Hill but that the state could expect fair weather by early in the week. “With the ground already soggy ... any additional rain will cause continued flooding problems along the swollen streams in the area,” weathermen said. The weather service warned persons in the watch area living near creeks, streams and low-lying areas to remain alert for flooding, especially if more rain fell. South of the flash flood line, showers were becoming widely scattered Sunday night, the service said. The inclement weather was caused by a low pressure area centered near Nashville, Tenn., Sunday night, but drifting slowly northward. As the low moves away, the service said, the weather will become clearer. Tuesday’s forecast calls for partly cloudy skies with mild temperatures ranging from the low 40s in the north and mid 50s in the south to highs in the 70s in the south and 60s in the moun tains. NEWS Toccoa Falls struggles back TOCCOA, Ga. (AP) — Searchers today ripped apart piles debris left when a dam burst and a wall of water smashed through a small college campus Sunday, killing at least 37 per sons. Twenty children were among the dead left in the debris of what had been Toccoa Falls Bible College, at the foot of scenic, 187-foot Toccoa Falls, some two miles northwest of here. Two men were missing. Pictures, stories Pages 5, 6 and 7 In addition to the dead, 45 persons were injured and 12 remained hospitalized. Earth-moving equipment pulled apart the piles of trees and tom wood and metal, most of it strewn within a half-mile upstream from the Georgia 17 bridge, and about two miles down stream from the campus. Maj. Gen. Billy Jones, state National Guard adjutant general, said authorities would try to have a damage estimate late today. Engineers and other officials were on the scene, he said. As the community began to pull itself together — with the help of Rosalynn Carter, who visited the area Sunday and said the president promised federal aid. Two volunteer firemen were among the dead. They had seen the water surging toward the campus and tried to race thir vehicle to the people sleeping in mobile homes, but were swept away. A third survived. “Even in this time of tragedy, I cannot help but feel something good will come of this, said college President Kenn Opperman. The dam, which had held back tons of water in an 80-acre lake above the falls, suddenly gave way about 1:30 a.m. Sunday after two days of heavy rain. A thunderous roar of falling water was punctuated with screams, splin tering wood and tearing metal. A dozen or more houses were demolished or damaged severely and about 15 mobile homes were destroyed. “There was this awful screaming and the ripping of metal,” said Bill Stacy, 19, who lived in a mobile home with his parents, two brothers and a sister. “It is a miracle but we all got out and Radio Club here helped with messages The Griffin Amateur Radio Club joined in a state network Sunday to help relay messages to survivors of the flood at Toccoa. Manning their equipment in Griffin were Jim New, Tom Nixon, Sykes Taylor and Woodrow Tingle. They were able to get messages through to people from Jackson and other nearby areas who had relatives in the Toccoa area. People ••• and things Toddler in stroller bursting into tears when mother takes away toy pet dog in department store to pay cashier for it. Tears flee when he gets dog back. Little girl shouting, “Hey, Daddy,” right in the middle of song as she and others sing at Sunday night service. Voting machine supervisor delivering last one to county precinct this morning in final preparation for balloting Tuesday. Vol. 105 No. 263 It’s up to city and county voters in this community to say what they think about a school bond issue Tuesday. Proponents have campaigned for it for several months. Only during the past week did any sort of campaign develop against it. The bond issue has almost over shadowed the election of two city commissioners and a county com missioner. A total of 16,192 registered voters are eligible to cast ballots. Sample ballots. Page 10. Early indications are that the interest in the bond issue will draw more voters to the polls than normally could be expected in a so-called off-year elec tion. Requests for absentee ballots have been strong this year, with many stating they especially wanted to make known their feelings on the bond issue. Voters will have three choices in the bond issue. One will be to vote for or against a $5,955,000 bond issue for a com prehensive high school and other school improvements. Another will be for or against a bond issue of $1,000,000 for an athletic stadium and facilities. The third will be for an issue of $160,000 for a central food storage and cooler freezer facility. This will be a county-wide vote. Voters also will vote for a person to fill the unexpired term of County Commissioner Reid Childers who my parents helped hunt for the bodies later,” he said. Bible students gathered for a can dlelight service later, telling each other how they had escaped and praying for strength to face the loss of relatives and friends. Outside, Bob Hamer of Ravenna, Ohio, stared at the muddy scene and recalled how the birth of his son two years ago made him “decide to do the Lord’s work.” Now his son was dead and so was his wife, but Harner wasn’t ranting against that Lord. “I believe that sometimes God allows Satan to do things, hoping to discourage (Continued on page 3.) Commission races, too Bond issue decision due Who’s eligible to vote Registered number of voters eligible for November 8,1977 election. VOTING DISTRICT NO. REGISTERED Griffin Precinct 1 687 Griffin Precinct 2 1,161 Griffin Precinct 3 2,640 Griffin Precinct 4 461 Griffin Precinct 5 937 Griffin Precinct 6 1,140 Griffin Precinct 7 851 Griffin Precinct 8 298 Total City 8,175 MIL. DIST: Cabin 784 Orr’s 1,330 Akin 870 Mt. Zion 383 Union 983 Africa 1,217 Line Creek 230 Experiment 1,711 East Griffin 509 Total County 8,017 Weather FORECAST FOR GRIFFIN AREA - Mostly fair tonight with lows around 50. Considerable sunshine Tuesday with highs in the lower 70s. LOCAL WEATHER — Low this morning at the Spalding Forestry Unit 51, high Sunday 66. Rainfall Sunday .23 of an inch, rainfall Saturday .56 of an inch. 1, ” I Paw fonts !>■/ Atlanta \o p > ga. \r • ‘ I acksoiivi lit * Z \FL*\ Taapi 3 El '6 \ ..I resigned because of ill health. Candidates who have campaigned for this post are David Elder, Thomas A. Bearden, Bob Gilreath, Frank Gunnels, Jim Goolsby and Al Norris. Voters in the county as well as those in the cities of Griffin, Sunny Side and Orchard Hill are eligible to cast ballots in the county commission election. City of Griffin voters will cast ballots for two commissioners. Opposing R. L. (Skeeter) Nor sworthy, Fourth Ward incumbent, will be Bobby Dunn and Sid James Beeland. Opposing incumbent Ernest (Tiggy) Jones in the First Ward will be Emmitt Cone and Mrs. Perry Manolis. The polls will open at 7 a.m. and close at 7 p.m. Tuesday. Two candidates at Orchard Hill Two people are running for a seat on the Orchard Hill city council in Tuesday’s election. J. D. Goggins, who is retired, and Mrs. Patricia Chambers, an employe of the H and K Package Store, are vying for the post presently held by Mayor Hilton Harris. Harris is not seeking reelection. According to Mrs. Julian Jones, city clerk, there are 38 registered voters, but the number would be doubled if everybody elegible would register. Other councilmen are Julian Jones and Jack Grubbs. The term of office is three years. VOTING PLACE West Griffin School Fire Station No. 1 (City Hall) Spalding County Courthouse Fourth Ward School Experiment Station (Stuckey Bldg.) Anne Street School National Guard Armory Spalding Junior High School Ringgold Courthouse (Ga. Hwy. 16) Anne Street School Orchard Hill Courthouse Zetella J.P. Courthouse Birdie Community House Beaverbrook School Line Creek J.P. Courthouse Experiment Station (Stuckey Bldg.) East Griffin J.P. Courthouse Total City & County 16,192