lornajarrettblanchard

— 10  AP. “Four prisoners perish in crash.” Times-Standard, Eureka, CA, 10-29-1979, p. 5.

— 10  Aviation Safety Network, Flight Safety Foundation. “Beechcraft…27 October 1979.”

— 10  B3A. “Crash of a Beechcraft Super King Air 200 in San Ysidro: 10 killed.”

— 10  Daily Gleaner, Kingston, Canada. “10 perish in plane crash.” 10-30-1979, p. 15.

— 10  Kebabjian, Richard. Planecrashinfo.com. “1979.”

 

Narrative Information

 

ASN:

“Date:                          Saturday 27 October 1979[1]

“Time:                         23:46

“Type:                         Beechcraft 200 Super King Air

“Operator:                   Procuraduria General de la Republica (PGR)

….

“Crew:                         Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2

“Passengers:                Fatalities: 8 / Occupants: 8

“Total:                         Fatalities: 10 / Occupants: 10

….

“Location:                   N of San Ysidro, CA

“Phase:                        Approach

….

“Departure Airport:     Monterrey (unknown airport), Mexico

“Destination airport:   Tijuana-Rodriquez Airport (TIJ/MMTJ), Mexico.

“Narrative:

“A Beechcraft 200 Super King Air airplane, operated by the Mexican Office of the General Prosecutor, hit a power pole at a height of 14 feet while on approach to Tijuana-Rodriguez Airport (TIJ), Mexico. The runway localizer was inoperative at the time of the accident.” (ASN)

 

Kebabjian: “Accident Details.

“Date: October 27, 1979

….

“Summary: Crashed while on final approach. The plane hit a pole, 14 feet above ground level, 2 miles from the approach end of the runway. The localizer was inoperative and the crew was using VOR/DME. Improper IFR operation.” (Kebabjian, Richard. Planecrashinfo.com. “1979.”)

 

Newspapers

 

Oct 29, AP: “San Diego (AP) — Four American prisoners headed for a Tijuana border exchange were among 10 persons killed when a Mexican government plane crashed into a telephone pole and burst into flames, officials said. Also killed in the Sunday morning crash [Oct 28] were the two Mexican pilots and four prison guards, according to the U.S. consulate in Tijuana, Mexico.

 

“San Diego police Lt. Dave Spisak said the pilot of the Otter turboprop apparently became disoriented in fog, wandered over the Mexican border and crashed a half-mile north of the international border between Tijuana and the rugged Otay Mesa area of San Diego.

 

“The four Americans were on their way to the United States as part of a prisoner exchange program. They were identified as Steve Michael Olsen of Imperial Beach; Julie Ann Sheldon of Cambria; Lotus Mary Sanchez of Garden Grove, and Gerald John Lapinski, hometown unknown. Two of the prisoners, Olsen and Ms. Sheldon, were married in prison and were returning to the United States to reunite with their 9-month-old daughter, authorities said. The couple was arrested on marijuana charges while vacationing in Mexico about a year ago and their child was being cared for by Mr. Sheldon’s mother…

 

“The prisoner exchange program, in effect since December 1977, allows American prisoners in Mexico and Mexican prisoners in the United States to finish their terms in their native countries.” (AP. “Four prisoners perish in crash.” Times-Standard, Eureka, CA, 10-29-1979, p5.)

 

Oct 29: “Mexico City, Oct 29. (CANA Reuter). Ten people including four American prisoners were killed when their plane crashed into an electric pylon in bad weather near the Mexican border, a government spokesman said today. The spokesman said the Mexican Government plane was transporting the four prisoners to the border town of Tijuana for transfer to the U.S… when the accident occurred yesterday [Oct 28].” (Daily Gleaner, Kingston, Canada. “10 perish in plane crash.” 10-30-1979, p. 15.)

 

Sources

 

Associated Press. “Four prisoners perish in crash.” Times-Standard, Eureka, CA, 10-29-1979, p. 5. Accessed 7-20-2017 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/eureka-times-standard-oct-29-1979-p-5/?tag

 

Aviation Safety Network, Flight Safety Foundation. Accident Description. Beechcraft…27 Oct 1979. Accessed 7-20-2017 at: https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19791027-1

 

B3A (Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives). “Crash of a Beechcraft Super King Air 200 in San Ysidro: 10 killed.” Geneva Switzerland. Accessed 7-20-2017 at: http://www.baaa-acro.com/1979/archives/crash-of-a-beechcraft-super-king-air-200-in-san-ysidro-10-killed/

 

Daily Gleaner, Kingston, Canada. “10 perish in plane crash.” 10-30-1979, p. 15. Accessed 7-20-2017 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/kingston-gleaner-oct-30-1979-p-15/?tag=

 

Kebabjian, Richard. Planecrashinfo.com. “1979.” Accessed 7-20-2017 at: http://www.planecrashinfo.com/1979/1979-72.htm

 

 

[1] According to newspaper reports dated Oct 29, the plane crashed on Oct 28.

–13  Leatherneck.com.  “Camp Fuji Fire-24 Years Ago Today.” 10-19-2003.

–13  Stars and Stripes. “Camp Fuji to honor 13 servicemembers…died in 1979 fire.” 10-14-04

–13  Wikipedia.  “Typhoon Tip.” 2-16-2012 modification.

 

Narrative Information

 

Leatherneck.com: “…the tragedy of October 19, 1979! While stationed at Camp Fuji for training 13 Marines of the 73 who were burned, died from their injuries. Their injuries were sustained from a horrific fire caused by Typhoon Tip! The men were from Battalion Landing Team 2/4 H&S Co.

Pvt …. Robert L. Brees………..Dell Rapids, SD, 17 years old, and youngest fatality.
PFC ….Thomas J. Breunig …..St Paul, MN.
L/cpl.. Willie Davis Jr ……….. Detroit, Mich.
L/cpl .. Philip E. DuPont …….. Bluemont, Va
Pfc ….. Tyrone C. Elem ……… Alexandria, Va.
L/cpl …Earnest E. Gutierrez.. Moor Park, Calif.
Pvt….. Gregory L. Hassell.. ..Chicago, Ill [one day after 20^th birthday (Leatherneck.com)]
Pfc ….. Roger A. Larsen ………Eau Claire, Wis.
L/cpl .. L. C. Malveaux ……….Beaumont, Texas
Cpl ….. Colim Miller……………Brooklyn, NY
L/cpl… Orlando E. Sandoval…Pueblo, Colo.
L/cpl .. Robert V. Smith Jr …..Spartanburg, SC
L/cpl .. Steven R. Turner …….Tipp, Ohio

 

(Leatherneck.com.  “Camp Fuji Fire-24 Years Ago Today.” 10-19-2003.)

 

[This website contains messages of survivors and relatives of survivors.  Some of the survivors write that they “still have nightmares…” or had or still have post traumatic stress syndrome.

 

One writes of how difficult it was during and immediately afterwards – dealing with burn casualties outside the barracks while the typhoon was raging – “The wind was blowing very hard and that rain hurt my skin as it hit me.” – Then self-organizing with no outside help and getting some of the burned to the nearest Japanese hospital where there was, at first, some reluctance to treat the U.S. servicemen. But soon the “10 or 15 or more burned Marines lined up on the hallway floor were taken care of one at a time during the night.

 

One writes on 11-27-2008 that “every Oct I go thru massive depression…I have drank, and did all orts of drugs to help forget, but I can’t and I am finally seeking and getting help from the V.A.  Another writes on 11-29-2008 that he had also suffered from PTSD and had been “homeless for almost 2 yrs, sleeping on the street, and in my car…”  (Leatherneck.com.  “Camp Fuji Fire-24 Years Ago Today.” 10-19-2003.)

 

Stars and Stripes, Oct 14, 2004: “In October 1979, Typhoon Tip, then the strongest storm to reach mainland Japan in 13 years, brought 115 mph winds and heavy rains to Fuji. More than 1,250 Marines from Camp Schwab, Okinawa, were being housed in Quonset huts on the installation’s upper half for training.

 

“A fuel farm, which consisted of two rubber storage bladders kept in place by a retaining wall, sat just up the hill. After rains from Tip eroded the wall and allowed a bladder to break free, hoses sprang loose, releasing 5,000 gallons of gasoline.  The fuel skimmed the water’s surface and ran across upper Fuji and into the Quonset huts. Shortly after 1:40 p.m., a heater inside one of the huts ignited the gasoline.

 

“Firefighting vehicles arrived on the scene within 10 minutes.  Emergency units from Takigahara Garrison, Gotemba City and the Gotemba-Oyama Fire Department also responded.  By 3:45 p.m., the blaze was under control but still not extinguished entirely.

 

“Fifty-one Marines and three Japanese nationals were injured; 15 huts were destroyed and several other buildings were damaged.  Casualties were evacuated to local hospitals in Gotemba, Atsugi Naval Air Facility, Yokosuka Naval Base and Yokota Air Base, as well as Brooks Army Medical Center in San Antonio. Vehicles and ambulances from Fuji Schools and Takigahara Garrison supported the transport, while Atsugi’s Headquarters, 3^rd Detachment of the USS White Plains, a combat stores ship, provided airlift support for helicopter evacuations.

 

“Of the 54 people taken to medical facilities, 13 Marines later died from their injuries.”  (Stars and Stripes. “Camp Fuji to honor 13 servicemembers who died in 1979 fire.” 10-14-2004)

 

Newspapers at the Time

 

Oct 19, Associated Press: “Tokyo (AP) — A fuel tank exploded and burned at a U.S. Marine Corps camp at the height of  a typhoon today, killing one person and injuring 60,10 of them critically, a Marine spokesman said.  Japanese news reports said the typhoon, packing 55 mph winds toppled the tank, which then ruptured and exploded.

 

“Master Gunnery Sgt Bob Green, the Marine spokesman, said he did not know the cause of the explosion and that no information was available immediately on the identity of the victims or whether they were Americans or Japanese.  The most seriously injured were burn cases, Green said.  Plans were being made to evacuate them to U.S. military hospitals.

 

“Japanese news agencies said the blast occurred when a fuel tank at the Marines’ Camp Fuji, 90 miles southwest of Tokyo, was blown over by high winds and ruptured, exploding and setting fire to several buildings.  Ten buildings were burned, Kyodo news service reported.

 

“Green said he could not confirm that.  “The fuel tank leaked, flowed and then ignited, that’s all I know,” he said.

 

“Communications between Tokyo and the camp were disrupted by Typhoon Tip, which moved through Japan today, leaving at least four Japanese dead in the north.  It hit the Shizuoka area, where the camp is located, shortly before reaching Tokyo.

 

“The fuel fire occurred about 1:30 p.m., when the storm was at its peak in the area.

 

“About 12,000 Marines are stationed at Camp Fuji.

 

“Green said helicopters were standing by to take the injured to a U.S. Navy hospital at Yokosuka, headquarters of the 7^th Fleet, or a hospital at Yokota, a U.S. air base.”  (AP. “USMC Camp in Japan Hit By Typhoon.” The Robesonian, Lumberton, NC. 10-19-1979, p. 2.)

 

Oct 20, AP: “Tokyo (AP) — A team of burn specialists is flying here from an Army hospital in Texas to examine 43 U.S Marines who were trapped in flames when a fuel tank toppled and exploded sending blazing gasoline into their wooden barracks.  One Marine was killed in the freak explosion and flash fire Friday, and one Japanese, a woman employee, suffered minor burns

 

“The team of specialists was due to arrive Sunday morning from the Brooke Army Hospital in San Antonio.  Pioneering research and treatment of serious burn cases has been conducted for several years at the hospital’s bum center. Many of the injured are in serious or critical condition.  A final evaluation will be made by the burn center team, the US Forces Tokyo office announced.  It said it was likely that all of the injured would be evacuated to the United States for treatment….

 

“Navy investigators continued their probe today of the smoking ruins of the aged wooden Quonset barracks at Camp Fuji, an installation at the base of 12,000-foot Mount Fuji, Japan’s sacred extinct volcano 90 miles southwest of Tokyo.

 

“The camp normally houses about 12,000 Marines plus a contingent of Japanese troops and is used by both groups for training exercises.

 

“The cause of the blast and fire has not been officially established, but Japanese news reports, quoting local authorities, said it occurred when the fierce winds of Typhoon Tip, which passed through central Japan on Friday afternoon, knocked over a 10-foot enclosure holding the gasoline, igniting the fuel which flowed through the nearby barracks.

 

“Kyodo news service said the tank was on high ground and the flaming gasoline flowed downhill into the Quonset hut area  The agency quoted one unidentified survivor as saying the fire “surged down toward us like lava.”

 

“An undetermined number of Marines escaped the flames by smashing windows or fleeing through the doors, but others were trapped inside, authorities said.  Fourteen of the Quonset huts and a laundry building were destroyed in the fire that lasted nearly five hours

 

“The Marines were from an Okinawa-based battalion landing team that was at Camp Fuji for special training….” (Associated Press. “43 Marines Injured in Fuel Tank Explosion.” Indiana Evening Gazette, Indiana, PA. 10-20-1979, p. 19.)

 

Oct 21, AP: “Tokyo (AP) — U.S. military authorities reported a second American Marine died early Sunday of burns suffered in a fuel-tank fire during a typhoon. They said more than 40 of 71 Marines injured in the blaze would be evacuated immediately for medical treatment at an Army hospital in San Antonio, Texas.

 

“They had said earlier that one Marine was killed and 43 were injured when a fuel tank spilled a river of flaming gasoline into a barracks area as typhoon Tip lashed central Japan Friday….

 

“The typhoon caused a total of 28 deaths throughout Japan, authorities reported, including another Marine who was swept into the ocean when the 75 mph-plus winds and rain struck Okinawa.  Sixteen persons were missing and nearly 300 were injured.  American military investigators continued an inquiry into what caused the 5,000-gallon rubber bladder to empty during the storm and send the gasoline cascading into the wooden barracks at Camp Fuji, 90 miles southwest of Tokyo.” (AP. “2 Marines die, 71 injured in explosion.” Cedar Rapids Gazette, IA 10-21-1979, p. 5A.)

 

Oct 24, Pacific Stars and Stripes: “The death toll from Friday’s disaster at Camp Fuji, Japan, climbed to three Monday as a third victim died on the way to Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas.

 

“Nineteen of the 38 Marines airlifted to Brooke from Yokota AB, Japan, Sunday are in very serious condition, the head of the burn unit at Brooke said Monday.  Col. Basil A. Pruitt Jr., commander of the hospital, said four of the victims were burned over more than 80 percent of their bodies and seven had burns covering 60 percent of their bodies.  He said the Marines would have a better chance than most burn victims because they were all young, from 17 to 22 years old, and were in excellent physical condition.

 

“The man who died on the way to Texas has been identified as LCpl. Thomas J. Breunig, 19, of St. Paul, Minn.

 

“LCpl. L. C. Malveaux of Beaumont, Texas, died Friday and, a third man, whose name is being withheld pending notification of his family, died early Sunday….

 

“In addition to the 37 being treated at Brooke, two Marines remain hospitalized at Yokota. Air Force officials said the men were left in Japan because their condition was too critical to make the 15-hour flight to Brooke.  They are LCpl. Robert V. Smith Jr. of Spartanburg, S.C. and Cpl. Colim Miller of Brooklyn, N.Y….”  (Pacific Stars and Stripes, Tokyo, Japan. “3^rd Marine dies en route to Texas.” 10-24-1979, 1.)

 

Oct 25, AP: “Tokyo (AP) — A fourth U.S. Marine has died of burns suffered last week when a typhoon triggered a gas-tank fire that swept through the Camp Fuji training base southwest of Tokyo, a U.S. military spokesman reported Thursday.  Cpl. Colim Miller of Brooklyn, N.Y. died Wednesday afternoon in the hospital at the U.S. Air Force Base at Yokota, the spokesman said. ;

He was one of more than 70 Marines burned in the blaze last Friday.”  (Syracuse Post-Standard, NY. “Fourth Marine Dies of Burns.” 10-25-1979, 2.)

 

Nov 25, NYT: “N.Y. Times.  San Antonio, Texas — It is warm on the ward, 80 degrees. Like many burn patients they tremble anyway.  The protective, insulating skin has been damaged….

 

“It has been a month since a 5,000-gallon container of gasoline ruptured and ignited in a typhoon in Japan, sending a river of flame through the Marine Corps training camp.  In a twinkling, the fire engulfed 42 Marines, aged 17 to 24.  In no time, it burned them over 10 to 93 percent of their bodies.

 

“Three of the victims died in Japan.  The rest were airlifted to San Antonio’s Brooke Army Medical Center — one died en route.  At Brooke one of the world’s premier burn units is struggling with one of the most destructive traumas known to medicine: infection which attacks the burned — unprotected — areas.

 

“Dr. Roger Yurt, a burn specialist who accompanied the victims from Japan, said that never has the Brooke Center had to deal with so many acute cases at once.  Even here, where the frontiers of burn treatment have been slowly but steadily expanded, the battle is often lost.  Eight more victims have died in the past four weeks, and another six are in serious danger….

 

“”They call me Rowdy,” said Lance Cpl. Donald L. Fullerton….The first time he thought he was going to die was when the flames trapped him momentarily in a Quonset hut: “I just kind of stopped for a second and said, ‘Why am I gonna die now, God? I ain’t ready.”  The second time was on the flight to Brooke as they removed the tan liquid and brown particles from his flame-damaged trachea.  Because of the respiratory injury, and because 48 percent of his body was burned, Rowdy Fullerton was classified as “critical” when he arrived.  His arms and legs have been grievously injured, and he is still in serious condition.  But he is expected to make it back to

Tahoe and ski again, as any lean, blond teen-ager from San Jose, Calif., ought to.

 

“Before the advances in treatment of the last two decades, he probably would have died.  He and most of the other survivors are no longer fighting for their lives.  Seven have been discharged; 10 more will be soon.  Some are doing push-ups and sit-ups.  For some, only the white antibiotic cream smeared over damaged flesh tells what has happened.  Seven, like Rowdy, are in serious but not critical condition.

 

“But for some of those still in the “critical” group, a crisis looms. They are approaching the time when, doctors say, a badly burned body either turns the corner to recovery or simply “runs out of gas.”  If the corner is not turned in time, the body’s systems start collapsing “like a house of cards,” in the words of Dr. William McManus, chief of the clinical division of the Army’s Institute of Surgical Research, of which the burn unit is a part….

 

“In the early evening of Oct. 19, all the Marines at Camp Fuji had been ordered to stay in the barracks until the typhoon was over.  The doors to Rowdy Fullerton’s barracks had been shut against the fury.  The fuel tank exploded with a loud “ba-whump,” and almost instantly, it seemed, the flames were coming under the door.  After an instant of panic, Fullerton forced the door.  He went down in the flames, then got up and ran through them to safety.  It took less than half a minute, by his estimate, for nearly half his skin to be damaged or destroyed….” (Pacific Stars and Stripes, Tokyo, Japan. “Medical battle continues for Camp Fuji fire victims.” 11-25-1979, 7.)

 

Wikipedia: “Heavy rainfall from the typhoon breached a flood-retaining wall at Camp Fuji, a training facility for the United States Marine Corps near Yokosuka.  Marines inside the camp weathered the storm inside huts situated at the base of a hill which housed a fuel farm. The breach led to hoses being dislodged from two rubber storage bladders, releasing large quantities of fuel. The fuel flowed down the hill and was ignited by a heater used to warm one of the huts. The resultant fire killed 13 Marines, injured 68, and caused moderate damage to the facility. The facility’s barracks were destroyed, along with fifteen huts and several other structures. The barracks were rebuilt, and a memorial was established for those who lost their lives in the fire.”  (Wikipedia.  “Typhoon Tip.” 2-16-2012 modification.)

 

Sources

 

Associated Press. “2 Marines die, 71 injured in explosion [USMC Camp Fuji, Japan].” Cedar Rapids Gazette, IA. 10-21-1979, p. 5A. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=151905758

 

Associated Press. “43 Marines Injured in Fuel Tank Explosion.” Indiana Evening Gazette, Indiana, PA. 10-20-1979, p. 19. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=112127046

 

Associated Press. “USMC Camp in Japan Hit By Typhoon.” The Robesonian, Lumberton, NC. 10-19-1979, p. 2. Accessed at:  http://newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=101032673

 

Leatherneck.com. “Camp Fuji Fire-24 Years Ago Today.” 10-19-2003. Accessed 7-21-2017 at:  http://www.leatherneck.com/forums/showthread.php?t=10380

 

Pacific Stars and Stripes, Tokyo, Japan. “Medical battle continues for Camp Fuji fire victims.” 11-25-1979, 7. At: http://newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=138536413

 

Pacific Stars and Stripes, Tokyo, Japan. “3^rd Marine dies en route to Texas.” 10-24-1979, 1. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=133253299

 

Stars and Stripes. “Camp Fuji to honor 13 servicemembers who died in 1979 fire.” 10-14-2004. http://www.stripes.com/news/camp-fuji-to-honor-13-servicemembers-who-died-in-1979-fire-1.25014

 

Syracuse Post-Standard, NY. “Fourth Marine Dies of Burns.” 10-25-1979, 2. Accessed at:  http://newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=20116280

 

Wikipedia. “Typhoon Tip.” 2-16-2012 modification.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Typhoon_Tip

 

–12  AP. “DC-7 crashes in Oregon.” Lethbridge Herald, Alberta, Canada, 9-15-1979, p. 2.

–12  Assoc. Press. “Firefighting plane crashes.” Huron Daily Plainsman, SD, 9-16-1979, p. 5.

–12  NTSB. AAR. Butler Aircraft, Inc.…Klamath Falls, Oregon, September 14, 1979. 1980, p. 1.

 

Narrative Information

 

NTSB Synopsis: “About 2047 Pacific daylight time, on September 14, 1979, a Douglas DC-7 (N4SW) owned and operated by Butler Aircraft, Inc., was transporting company employees to Medford, Oregon, when it crashed 24 miles west-northwest of Klamath Falls, Oregon, The 2 crewmembers and 10 passengers on board were killed The aircraft struck trees on the crest of Surveyor Mountain about 7 minutes after takeoff from the Kingsley Field Municipal Airport. The aircraft was destroyed by impact and ground fire. Although the night was dark, visibility was 10 miles and the wind was calm.

 

“The National Transportation Safety Board determines that the probable cause of this accident was the flightcrew’s decision to undertake a direct point to point high-cruise-speed flight at low altitudes. The crew’s judgment in the selection of a low-altitude flight profile may have been influenced by their familiarity with the terrain. [p. 1]

 

“1. Factional Information. 1.1 History of the Flight. On September 14, 1979, a Douglas DC-7 operated by Butler Aircraft, Inc…was on a company business flight from Redmond, Oregon, to Medford, Oregon, with an en route stop at Klamath Falls, Oregon. At Redmond…8 employees were enplaned, and the aircraft departed Redmond for Klamath Falls about 1945. The purpose of the flight was to transport Butler employees to an end-of-season barbecue in Medford… Tanker 69 [call-sign] landed at Klamath Palls at 2029. Two additional Butler employees were enplaned, and the aircraft departed runway 14 at Klamath Falls at 2040. The flightcrew did not file a flight plan, and the weather was such that none was required….

 

“About 2047, witnesses located 25 miles west-northwest of the airport heard sounds, which they first thought to be from a car or truck with loud mufflers. Subsequently. they determined that the sounds were an approaching aircraft. They heard engine sounds become “choppy,” resembling the noise made by a helicopter blade, and saw a fireball on Surveyor Peak, about 3½  miles south of their location. Weyerhauser Company and Oregon State Forestry Department personnel located about 12 miles from Surveyor Peak also saw the fireball on the peak. After notifying authorities, they took firefighting equipment to the scene.

 

“The aircraft crashed at night during hours of darkness (about 2047)…at an elevation of about 6,400 ft…. [p. 2]

 

“1.8     Aids to Navigation. There is no evidence to Indicate that the crew was utilizing navigational aids on this flight; however, those most likely to have been used were available and operating normally. These include the Klamath Falls and Medford VORTAC stations…. [p. 3]

 

“1.12   Wreckage and Impact Information.  The aircraft struck trees at the crest of Surveyor Mountain, ½  mile south of Surveyor Peak and 24 miles west-northwest of Kingsley Field Municipal Airport. The crest at this point is 6,400 ft. The area surrounding the site is mountainous, wooded, and sparsely populated. Impact marks in the trees began about 70 ft above ground level….The aircraft broke up extensively…. [p. 4]

 

“Analysis…. The collision-type accident Involved a number of operational factors that should be considered. The night profile flown by the pilot from takeoff to the accident was not in conformance with accepted standards. The normal climb schedule was not followed and it appears that the aircraft was on a direct point to point high-cruise-speed flight from Klamath Falls to Medford when it collided with the trees. A flight plan was not filed and appropriate altitudes were not selected for the in-flight cruise portion of the flight. The flightcrew had flown as a crew in the area for several years and they were familiar with the Klamath Falls-Medford route.

 

“This accident resulted in spite of a functioning crew, an airworthy aircraft, and visual meteorological flight conditions. Notwithstanding the crew’s familiarity with the area over which they planned to travel, prudence would dictate that a crew select a safer terrain clearance altitude when flying over mountainous terrain at night…. [p. 8]” (NTSB AAR. Butler Aircraft, Inc. Douglas DC-7, N4SW, Klamath Falls, Oregon, September 14, 1979. 1980.)

 

Newspaper

 

Sep 15: “Klamath Falls, Ore. (AP) – A DC-7 plane used to fight forest fires crashed on a southern Oregon mountain, apparently killing all 12 persons aboard, U.S. Forest Service officials said today. Officials said no survivors had been sighted following the crash late Friday. The plane had been used to drop fire-retardant chemicals on a small forest fire near Roseburg, northwest of Klamath Falls. It then stopped to pick up employees of the plane’s owner, Butler Aircraft Co. of Redmond.” (Associated Press. “DC-7 crashes in Oregon.” Lethbridge Herald, Alberta, Canada, 9-15-1979, p. 2.)

 

Sep 16: “Klamath Falls, Ore. (AP) – A four-engine DC-7 plane used to fight forest fires crashed and burned on a southern Oregon mountain, killing all 12 people aboard, authorities said Saturday [Sep 15]. Sue Hughes of the U.S. Forest Service said the plane crashed Friday night on 6,500-foot Surveyor Peak near Lake of the Woods, about 20 miles northwest of Klamath Falls.

 

“The plane had been used earlier Friday to drop fire retardant chemicals on a small forest fire near Roseburg, northwest of Klamath Falls. It then stopped to pick up some more employees of the plane’s owner, Butler Aircraft Co. of Redmond….” (AP. “Firefighting plane crashes.” Huron Daily Plainsman, SD, 9-16-1979, p. 5.)

 

Sources

 

Associated Press. “DC-7 crashes in Oregon.” Lethbridge Herald, Alberta, Canada, 9-15-1979, p. 2. Accessed 7-21-2017 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/lethbridge-herald-sep-15-1979-p-2/

 

Associated Press. “Firefighting plane crashes.” Huron Daily Plainsman, SD, 9-16-1979, p. 5. Accessed 7-21-2017 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/huron-daily-plainsman-sep-16-1979-p-5/?tag

 

National Transportation Safety Board. Aircraft Accident Report. Butler Aircraft, Inc. Douglas DC-7, N4SW, Klamath Falls, Oregon, September 14, 1979. Washington, DC: NTSB, adopted 6-10-1980, 15 pages. Accessed 7-21-2017 at: https://www.fss.aero/accident-reports/dvdfiles/US/1979-09-14-US.pdf

 

 

 

 

–17-19  Blanchard tally based on State breakouts below.[1]

—   >17  Cedar Rapids Gazette, IA. “Cleanup in wake of Frederic.” 9-16-1979, 4A.[2]

—     16  UPI. “Storm Stricken Offer Up Thanks.” Post-Standard, Syracuse, NY. 9-17-1979, 1.[3]

—   ~12  AP. “Victims Clear Storm’s Debris.” Laurel Leader-Call, MS. 9-17-1979, p. 1.

—     11  NHC. Preliminary Report, Hurricane Frederic, Aug. 29–Sept. 14, 1979. 10-3-79, p3.[4]

— 8-10  AP. “South picks up…pieces in wake of Frederic’s…” Iola Register, KS. 9-15-79, 1.[5]

—    >9  UPI, Mobile. “Frederic’s fury unleashes…” Galveston Daily News. 9-14-1979, 2A.

—      8  AP, Mobile. “Carter tours battered coast…” Odessa American, TX, 9-14-1979, p. 1.[6]

—      5  Hebert, P. J. “Atlantic Hurricane Season of 1979.” MWR, V.108, July 1980, p. 973, 976.

—      5  Direct. NWS. Natural Disaster Survey Report…Frederic, Aug 29-Sept 13, 1979.

 

Alabama:       (12-13)

–12-13  Blanchard tally based on locality and/or cause of death breakouts below.

—     12  Cedar Rapids Gazette, IA (AP). “Cleanup in wake of Frederic.” 9-16-1979, 4A.

—     >8  AP, Mobile. “Frederic Levels Much of Gulf Coast.” Titusville Herald, PA. 9-14-79, 1.

—       2  Murray. “Remembering…Frederic.” Alabama WX Weather Blog, 9-12-2010.[7]

—       1  National Climatic Center. Storm Data, Vol. 21, No. 9, September 1979, p. 2.[8]

 

AL Locality and or Cause Breakouts:

–2  Bayou La Batre, Sep 13. Kerosene explosion in attempt to start a fire for light or cooking.[9]

–1  Grand Bay, Sep 12. Mobile home blows over killing boy, 4.[10]

–1  Gulf, Sep 11. Drowned; oilfield worker falls off Trans World Drilling Co. rig tender under tow.[11]

–4  Pritchard, Sep 14. Home fire blamed on “improper cooking”; mother, three children.[12]

–?  Locality not noted, other than “just off Louisiana coast.” Presumed drowning.[13]

–1  Locality not noted. Heart attack, woman, 76.[14]

–3  Localities not noted. Traffic accidents (described as auto crashes).[15]

 

Florida:          (     1)

–1  Intracoastal waterway near Pensacola. Drowning; female 24.[16]

 

Louisiana:      (  0-1)

–1? Sep 11. Drowning; believed trapped when oil rig flips in Mississippi River Gulf Outlet.[17]

 

Pennsylvania  (     1)

— 1  Erie County College, Sep 15. Drowning; raft sucking into underground drainage ditch.[18]

 

Tennessee       (     3)

— 3  Sep 13-14. “…heavy rains were blamed on traffic accidents that killed three persons…”[19]

 

Causes of Death (17-19)

 

Drowning:                  (3-5)

–1  AL Gulf, Sep 11. Oilfield worker falls from Trans World Drilling Co. rig tender under tow.

–?  AL. Locality not noted, other than “just off Louisiana coast.” Presumed drowning.[20]

–1  FL. Intracoastal waterway near Pensacola. Drowning; female 24.

–?  LA. Sep 11. Drowning; believed trapped when oil rig flips in Mississippi River Gulf Outlet.

–1  PA. Erie County College, Sep 15. Drowning; raft sucking into underground drainage ditch.

 

Fires:                          (  6)

–2  AL. Bayou La Batre, Sep 13. Kerosene explosion; attempt to start a fire for light or cooking.

–4  AL. Pritchard, Sep 14. Home fire blamed on “improper cooking”; mother, three children.

 

Heart Attack:            (  1)

–1  AL. Locality and date not noted (in Sep 14 paper). Heart attack, woman, 76.

 

High Wind:                (  1)

–1  AL. Grand Bay, Sep 12. Mobile home blows over killing boy, 4.

 

Traffic Accidents:     (  6)

–3  AL. Localities not noted. Traffic accidents (described as auto crashes)

–3  Sep 13-14. “…heavy rains were blamed on traffic accidents that killed three persons…”

 

Narrative Information

 

NWS: “….By 11am on September 12th, Frederic was located 175 miles south of Pensacola moving north-northwest at 12 to 15 mph. The diameter of the hurricane eye was reported to be about 10 miles. Reports from hurricane hunter reconnaissance aircraft and coastal weather radar networks indicated the eye of Frederic would cross the coast between Gulfport, MS and Pensacola, FL. Evacuation of the Gulf Coast was nearing completion at that time. By 5pm on September 12th, the center of Hurricane Frederic was approximately 80 miles south of Gulf Shores, AL moving north at 15 mph.

 

“Conditions began to rapidly deteriorate during the afternoon of September 12th as Frederic approached the Alabama Gulf Coast. Hurricane Frederic approached the coast with a forward speed of 15 mph. The eye of the Frederic measured 50 miles in diameter east to west and 40 miles north to south. In the opinion of some weather forecasters at the time, Frederic had the largest storm center they had ever recorded.

 

“Shortly before 10pm on September 12th, the northern eyewall of Frederic move ashore on Dauphin Island, AL. As the eye moved inland, it decreased in size to about 15 miles in diameter. The storm center crossed over the western end of Dauphin Island at 10pm. An automated wind gust recorder (located at the top of the Dauphin Island Bridge), recorded a peak wind gust of 145 mph around 9:40 pm. At landfall, Frederic was as strong Category 3 on the Saffir Simpson Hurricane Intensity Scale, raking the Mobile Bay area with winds gusting from 100 to 145 mph for several hours on the evening of September 12th through the early morning of September 13th. Hurricane wind gusts were experienced as far inland as Choctaw County, AL during the early morning hours of September 13th.

 

“The damage cost from Frederic was $2.3 billion. Five deaths were directly attributable to the storm. A storm surge of 12 to 15 feet on the Gulf beaches and 8 to 10 feet in northern Mobile Bay destroyed numerous coastal buildings. Storm surge damage was documented for 80 miles along the coast.

 

“The winds from Hurricane Frederic damaged or destroyed many homes and businesses. Many homes and businesses well inland suffered severe damage when large pine trees fell onto them or the roof structures failed. Along with peak wind gusts of 145 mph at the Dauphin Island Bridge, wind gusts of 97 mph from the east were recorded at Mobile Regional Airport at 11:07 pm. At midnight, Mobile County Civil Defense also reported measured wind gusts at 97 mph, along with massive damage in Mobile and surrounding areas. At midnight, wind gusts from the north at 98 mph were reported by Biloxi Civil Defense with north winds gusting to 127 mph at Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, MS.

 

“At 2am on Thursday, September 13th, the National Weather Service issued an intermediate advisory reporting the center of Hurricane Frederic had passed just west of Mobile and the hurricane force winds began to slowly subside in the Mobile area as Frederic continued to move north along the Alabama/Mississippi border. Extensive reports of damage in the Mobile metropolitan area were beginning to come in to the NWS. After moving inland from the coast, the hurricane moved north and then northeast, increasing its forward speed to 23 mph. It did not lose hurricane intensity until it was in the vicinity of Meridian, MS at about 7am.

 

“By 8am on September 13th, Frederic was downgraded to a tropical storm. Frederic maintained that intensity as it moved north through Mississippi, crossing back into Alabama west of Tuscaloosa. Late that afternoon, Frederic was further downgraded to a tropical depression as it moved north through Alabama.

 

“Numerous large swaths of significant wind damage were documented in the days immediately following the landfall of Frederic. Fallen trees were a significant impact to residents, bringing down thousands of power lines and blocking roads for several days. Some areas of Mobile County experienced electric power outages for 5 weeks.

 

“Frederic moved north along the Alabama/Mississippi border dropping 3 to 11 inches of rain along its path. The highest rainfall total of 11 inches was reported in Pascagoula, MS….

 

“Over 500,000 people evacuated from the Central Gulf Coast Region ahead of Hurricane Frederic – the largest evacuation along the Gulf Coast up to that time. Frederic was the first hurricane to directly strike Mobile since 1932. Before Frederic, the last hurricane with Category 3 winds to directly strike the Alabama Gulf Coast occurred in 1916. There was also the 1926 ‘Great Miami’ Hurricane that weakened to a Category 2 storm as it passed over Fort Morgan and Dauphin Island, AL.” (NWS Weather Forecast Office Mobile/Pensacola. Hurricane Frederic September 12, 1979. 9-12-2014 modification.)

 

Newspapers:

 

Sep 13: “Mobile, Ala. (AP) – Hurricane Frederic crashed into this 300-year-old port with 130 mph winds early today, leaving two dead, ripping apart homes, flattening businesses and felling trees and power lines along the Gulf Coast from Florida to Louisiana.

 

“Looting broke out in downtown Mobile and the neighboring town of Prichard in the wake of this area’s worst hurricane in a decade. Armed National Guardsmen were sent in and Prichard police were told to “shoot to kill.”

 

“Frederic weakened and was downgraded to a tropical storm as it moved inland today across though southeast Mississippi and into Alabama, with top winds of 60 mph….

 

“There were two confirmed deaths as the born-again storm hit Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi and the Florida Panhandle, churning up 15-foot tides. Forecasters said the greatest threat today was from floods and tornados.

 

“Alabama Gov. Fob James toured the area by helicopter and said he would ask the White House to declare Mobile and Baldwin counties a disaster area damage was estimated at up to $100 million in Florida and 150 million in Mississippi

 

“This festival city of 300,000 and neighboring Pascagoula, Miss., a smaller city to the west, bore the brunt of the hurricane which first hit land at Dauphin island, a resort island 5 miles long that was reported “sliced in half. ” “I would say there is not a dwelling, business or any other building in Jackson County that does not have damage ranging from minor to total destruction, ” said Ken Phillips, director of disaster relief in Pascagoula.

 

“Mayor A.J. Cooper of Prichard, a Mobile suburb of 50,000, said widespread looting was reported in his community today The mayor told his policeman to fire two warning shots at looters, then “shoot to kill.” Mobile Mayor Gary Greenbought said some looting was reported in the downtown area and Alabama Gov Fob James sent armed National Guardsmen and state troopers into the area. Prichard fireman Sidney Anderson said the looting began at daybreak, “as soon as they could see to steal”.” (AP. “Alabama city bears brunt of hurricane.” Odessa American, TX, 9-13-1979, p. 1.)

 

Sep 15: “….In the port city of Mobile, where authorities had imposed a dusk-to-dawn curfew, at least 64 people were arrested for looting overnight as National Guardsmen reinforced local police who had orders to “shoot to kill” if necessary. Another 36 were arrested for violating the curfew, said Mobile police Sgt. R.D. Roy. “Most of these were running the streets,” he said. More than 50 juveniles and 14 adults were arrested on looting charges, mostly for stealing television sets, clothes, beer and soft drinks. Dozens of other looters eluded police on the blackened streets, Roy said….

 

“Meanwhile, Frederic — now labeled a tropical depression — whirled into the Great Lakes region, still delivering torrential rains and some tornadoes over a widespread region. The deluge, more than six inches in parts of the area, caused scattered flooding in Ohio and western New York. Columbus, Ohio, schools were closed Friday when buses could not get through flooded streets, and several families in low-lying areas of the city had to be evacuated by boat when water surrounded their homes. In the Buffalo, N.Y., suburb of Amherst, some persons were evacuated and taken to a fire hall when a creek began rising. The National Weather Service in Buffalo said 4.99 inches of rain fell in a 14-hour period Friday, breaking the record set for a 24-hour period in 1893. A rainstorm spawned by the remnants of Frederic caused a covered bridge spanning the Connecticut River between New Hampshire and Vermont to collapse. In Akron, Ohio, where the weather service reported 6.13 inches of rain, the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co, closed parts of its two plants due to flooding.

 

“Power remained a major problem in the Mobile area. Power outages caused by falling lines and flattened transmission towers caused food spoilage, made gasoline pumps inoperable and aggravated police efforts to control looting.” (Associated Press, Mobile. “South picks up the pieces in wake of Frederic’s fury.” Iola Register, KS. 9-15-1979, p. 1.)

 

Sources

 

Associated Press, Miami. “170,000 evacuated in Gulf area.” Evening Capital, Annapolis, MD, 9-12-1979, p. 4. At: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=5573877&sterm

 

Associated Press. “Alabama city bears brunt of hurricane.” Odessa American, TX, 9-13-1979, p. 1. At: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=185981020&sterm=frederic+death

 

Associated Press, Mobile. “Carter tours battered coast as Frederic cleanup begins.” Odessa American, TX, 9-14-1979, p. 1. At: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=185981046&sterm

 

Associated Press. “Frederic Levels Much of Gulf Coast.” Titusville Herald, PA, 9-14-1979, p. 1. At: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=104251518&sterm=frederic+death

 

Associated Press, Mobile. “Frederic takes blame for more death.” Walla Walla Union-Bulletin, WA. 9-16-1979, p. 1. At: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=225116960&sterm

 

Associated Press, Mobile. “South picks up the pieces in wake of Frederic’s fury.” Iola Register, KS. 9-15-1979, p. 1. At: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=161846600&sterm

 

Associated Press. “Victims Clear Storm’s Debris.” Laurel Leader-Call, MS. 9-17-1979, p. 1. At: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=227555429&sterm=frederic+death

 

Athens News Courier, AL. “Frederic leaves 50,000 without power.” 9-14-1979, p. 2. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=227961462&sterm=frederic+death

 

Cedar Rapids Gazette, IA. “Cleanup in wake of Frederic.” 9-16-1979, 4A. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=150694951&sterm=frederic+death

 

Hebert, Paul J. (National Hurricane Center). “Atlantic Hurricane Season of 1979.” Monthly Weather Review, Vol. 108, July 1980, pp. 973-990. Accessed 11-24-2014 at: http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/general/lib/lib1/nhclib/mwreviews/1979.pdf

 

Murray, Bill. “Remembering Hurricane Frederic.” Alabama WX Weather Blog, 9-12-2010. Accessed 11-24-2014 at: http://www.alabamawx.com/?p=33842

 

National Climatic Center. Storm Data, Vol. 21, No. 9, Sep 1979. Asheville, NC: NCD, National Weather Service, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce. Accessed 11-26-2014 at: http://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/orders/IPS/IPS-2A8DA52E-B092-44B3-BB45-F86161BCC37A.pdf

 

National Hurricane Center (PJH). Preliminary Report, Hurricane Frederic, Aug. 29 – Sept. 14, 1979. 10-3-1979, four pages. Accessed 11-24-2014 at: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/storm_wallets/atlantic/atl1979-prelim/frederic/prelim01.gif

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/storm_wallets/atlantic/atl1979-prelim/frederic/prelim02.gif

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/storm_wallets/atlantic/atl1979-prelim/frederic/prelim03.gif

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/storm_wallets/atlantic/atl1979-prelim/frederic/prelim04.gif

 

National Weather Service, NOAA. Natural Disaster Survey Report. Hurricane Frederic, Aug 29 – Sept 13, 1979. Silver Spring MD: NWS, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce, circa 1979-1980. Accessed 11-24-2014: http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CZIC-qc945-h8-1979/html/CZIC-qc945-h8-1979.htm

 

National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office, Mobile/Pensacola. Hurricane Frederic September 12, 1979. 9-12-2014 modification. Accessed 11-24-2014 at: http://www.srh.noaa.gov/mob/?n=frederic

 

Titusville Herald, PA. “Local Teen-ager Escapes Serious Injuries in Raft Accident at Edinboro.” 9-17-1979, p. 2. At: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=102438912&sterm

 

United Press International, Mobile. “Frederic’s fury unleashes destruction far inland.” Galveston Daily News, TX. 9-14-1979, 2A. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com

 

United Press International, Mobile. “Hurricane creates a wake of destruction.” New Castle News, PA, 9-13-1979, p. 2: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=227903276&sterm

 

United Press International, Mobile. “Storm Stricken Offer Up Thanks.” Post-Standard, Syracuse, NY. 9-17-1979, pp. 1, 3. At: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=20112007&sterm

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[1] The range has to do with the range of 12-13 for Alabama and the one presumed drowning listed for Louisiana.

[2] Eight in Alabama and at least five elsewhere.

[3] “Nine deaths were attributed directly to the storm, but seven others died from fires due to the lack of electricity as victims tried to cook on kerosene stoves and light their homes with candles.”

[4] “Thus far, 11 storm related deaths have been attributed to Frederic in the U.S., but only 2 were caused directly. Although a final count of storm related deaths is unavailable it is believed to be less than 15.”

[5] “…at least eight [deaths] with two others missing and presumed dead.”

[6] “Frederick claimed only half the human toll of last week’s Atlantic Coast killer, Hurricane David, which claimed 16 lives in…[US]….At least six persons were killed. Two others in Florida were missing and believed dead.”

[7] Two direct deaths in Alabama.

[8] “There was only one known death in Alabama directly resulting from the hurricane. A four year old boy was killed in Brand Bay when a mobile home turned over on him as he was trying to escape high winds with his family.”

[9] “The number of storm-related deaths rose to eight late Thursday when an explosion killed two people in the picturesque fishing village of Bayou La Batre, southwest of Mobile. Police said they apparently were trying to use kerosene to light a fire for light or cooking purposes in a storm-wrecked house.”

[10] UPI, Mobile. “Hurricane creates a wake of destruction.” New Castle News, PA, 9-13-1979, p. 2. The AP writes the victim was a girl in Mobile. (AP. “Frederic Levels Much of Gulf Coast.” Titusville Herald, PA, 9-14-1979, p. 1.)

[11] “…one man was killed and another was reported missing as 2,500 offshore oilfield workers were leaving rigs in the path of the storm….[one] man died when he fell from a Trans World Drilling Co. rig tender under tow in heavy seas in the Gulf off the Louisiana Coast. He was pulled from the water, but could not be revived. His name was not released.” (AP, Miami. “170,000 evacuated in Gulf area.” Evening Capital, Annapolis, MD, 9-12-79, p. 4.)

[12] “The death toll from Frederic continued to climb as police blamed the fire deaths of a mother and her three children Friday night on conditions caused by the storm. That brought the storm’s toll to 12 in Alabama.” (Cedar Rapids Gazette, IA (AP). “Cleanup in wake of Frederic.” 9-16-1979, 4A.) Also: AP, Mobile. “Frederic takes blame for more death.” Walla Walla Union-Bulletin, WA. 9-16-1979, p. 1 (which identifies victims as Annie Williams, 24, and her children Eric, 8, Aretta, 2, and Michelle, six months).

[13] Article also mentions the oil rig worker who drowned when he fell from a rig tender being towed away from storm, thus this is not a reference to that death. It could, however, be the same death we have noted as a presumed drowning in the Gulf when an oil rig flipped over.

[14] Associated Press, Mobile. “Frederic Levels Much of Gulf Coast.” Titusville Herald, PA. 9-14-1979, p. 1.

[15] Associated Press, Mobile. “Frederic Levels Much of Gulf Coast.” Titusville Herald, PA. 9-14-1979, p. 1.

[16] “Dr. John Langley, 45, of Mobile, Ala., was rescued early Thursday [Sep 13] in the Intercoastal waterway near Pensacola. He told volunteer firemen who swam to his aid that he had clung to his 40-foot capsized boat for six hours. He said a companion, a 24-year-old nurse from Mobile who was not identified, had been swept away by the currents and was presumed drowned.” (Athens News Courier, AL. “Frederic leaves 50,000 without power.” 9-14-1979, p. 2.) Confirmed as a fatality in Hebert and in NCC, NWS Storm Data which writes “A woman was drowned when a sailboat, seeking a safe harbor, was swamped on the Intracoastal Waterway north of Perdido Key.” (p. 4).

[17] Being towed from storm’s path. Noted divers were searching for his body. (AP, Miami. “170,000 evacuated in Gulf area.” Evening Capital, Annapolis, MD, 9-12-79, p.4.) Have not located confirmation, however.

[18] “…three Edinboro coeds [were] involved in Friday’s [Sep 14] rafting accident on the campus of the Erie County [PA] college…Deborah Day, 17, of suburban Lawrence Park, has died as a result of the accident. Miss Day’s death occurred Saturday evening at Erie’s St. Vincent Hospital where she had been rushed for treatment. She was placed on a respirator, but never regained consciousness….Campus police said the students were riding in an inflatable raft in shallow flood waters left by the remnants of Hurricane Frederic.” (Titusville Herald, PA. “Local Teen-ager Escapes Serious Injuries in Raft Accident at Edinboro.” 9-17-1979, p. 2.)

[19] Writing about Frederic as it “moved northward Thursday and Friday, heavy rains were blamed on traffic accidents that killed three persons in Tennessee.” UPI. “Storm Stricken Offer Up Thanks.” Post-Standard, Syracuse, NY. 9-17-1979, p. 3.

[20] Article also mentions the oil rig worker who drowned when he fell from a rig tender being towed away from storm, thus this is not a reference to that death. It could, however, be the same death we have noted as a possible drowning in the Louisiana Mississippi River Gulf Outlet when an oil rig flipped over.

–2,068+ direct. Wikipedia. “Hurricane David.” 8-15-2014 modification.

–2,000  Dominican Republic. Hebert. “Atlantic Hurricane Season of 1979.” MWR, V108, 984.[1]

—     56  Dominica Island. Hebert. “Atlantic Hurricane Season of 1979.” MWR, V. 108, p. 983.

—       7  Puerto Rico. Hebert. “Atlantic Hurricane Season of 1979.” MWR, V. 108, p. 984.

–21-22  U.S. Mainland.

 

United States              (21-22)

—     22  Direct and indirect, Puerto Rico and U.S. mainland. (Hebert, p. 984.)[2]

–15  Mainland.  Hebert. “Atlantic Hurricane Season of 1979.” MWR, Vol. 108, p. 984.

—  5  Direct.

–10  Indirect.

— 7  Puerto Rico. Hebert. “Atlantic Hurricane Season of 1979.” MWR, Vol. 108, p. 984.

—     21  Blanchard tally from breakouts below.

–10-20  Lawrence. Preliminary Report. Hurricane David, August 25-September 7, 1979. p.5.[3]

—     19  The Herald, Glasgow, Scotland. “Hurricane Hugo death toll rises to 34.” 9-23-1989, 4.

—     16  Mainland (apparently).[4]

—     13  AP. “The Nation’s Weather.” Indiana Evening Gazette, Indiana, PA. 9-6-1079, p. 5.[5]

—   >12  AP. “David Proved Tough Hurricane When It Came To Predicting Path.” 9-10-1979.[6]

 

Florida                        (  6)

—   6  State. Ironwood Daily Globe (AP), MI. “David Now Just a Storm.” 9-5-1979, p. 1.[7]

— >5  Chronicle-Telegram, Elyria, OH. “David draws a bead on Charleston, S.C.” 9-4-1979, 4.

—   5  Longshore. Encyclopedia of Hurricanes, Typhoons, and Cyclones (New Ed.). 2008, 120.

— ~3  Our translation of “several people died” in NCC, Storm Data, Vol. 21, No. 9, Sep 1979, 3.

Identified Causes of Death:

—   1  Drowning; surfer “attempting to ride David’s dangerous swells.”[8]

—   1  Electrocution; Key Largo, Sep 2; male (Fred Nicholson). (Barnes and AP)[9]

—   2  Heart attacks “while making storm preparations.”[10]

—   1  Traffic accident. Man killed when car overturns “on a rain-swept portion of I-95.”[11]

—   1  Traffic accident. Elderly female struck by van while walking to Fort Lauderdale shelter.[12]

 

Georgia                      (2)

— 2  Off Jekyll Island, Sep 4. Drowning in heavy surf. (Lawrence, p. 4.)[13]

 

Maryland                   (1)

— 1  Baltimore vic., Jones Falls Expy., Sep 6. Drowning, car swept away, flood water; female.[14]

 

New York                   (1)

— 1  Brooklyn, Sep 6. Factory worker, flying glass from window blown out by wind gust.[15]

 

North Carolina          (1)

— 1  Charlotte, Sep 4-5. Drowning; male, flooded creek.[16]

 

Virginia                      (1)

— 1  Great Falls, Fairfax County, Sep 5. Tornado. Tree toppled onto house, killing male.[17]

 

West Virginia            (1)

— 1  ~Capon Bridge., Hampshire Co., Sep 5. Drowning; male, 73, swept away by flood water.[18]

 

Puerto Rico                (7)

–16  AP (David L. Langford). “David left his mark.” Odessa American, TX. 9-9-1979, p. 14B.

—  7  Hebert. “Atlantic Hurricane Season of 1979.” MWR, V. 108, p. 984.

—  7  Lawrence. Preliminary Report. Hurricane David, August 25-September 7, 1979. Page 3.

–4  Electrocution (three in Toa Baja and one in Guaynabo). (Lawrence, p. 3.)

–1  Tree fall at San Sebastian. (Lawrence, p. 3.)

—  7  National Climatic Center. Storm Data, Vol. 21, No. 8, Aug 1979, p. 17.

–2  Drowning near Vega Baja. Father and son swept away by swollen Cibuco River.

–2  Electrocution; Toa Baja. Power cable falls into a puddle of water.

–1  Electrocution at Moca.

–1  Tree fall in San Sebastian hits a car killing male.

–1  Falling rocks. Man directing traffic around a landslide hit by falling rocks.

 

Dominican Republic (1)

— 1  U.S. Marine Corps Ch-53 helicopter crash flying a relief mission, Sep 7; pilot killed.[19]

 

General Narrative

 

Lawrence:  “David moved inland just north of Palm Beach at approximately 1600 GMT on the 3^rd. At this time the eye diameter was 20 to 30 n.mi. The eye passed over a number of coastal cities in a zone from Jupiter in Martin County northward to New Smyrna Beach (just south of Daytona Beach), where it moved off shore. Since the storm was moving almost due north at about 10 knots, some locations were within David’s eye for periods of about two hours….Highest surface winds experienced in Florida were gusts to 75 knows at South Melbourne Beach and a 74 knot gust at Jupiter. Heavy surf and rainfall amounts in the 5-10 inch range accompanied the storm….

 

“Changing very little in intensity, David made its final landfall just south of Savannah Beach, Georgia, during the afternoon of the 4^th. Savannah reported 50 knot sustained winds….Two people were drowned in the heavy surf off Jekyll Island. To the north gusts along the coast ranged from 50 to 60 knots. Charleston [SC] reported 49 knot gusts. Several tornadoes occurred between Charleston and Myrtle Beach. Rainfall was heavy in some areas with Savannah receiving 6.86 inches. There were reports of up to 10 inches in interior South Carolina. Flooding was light to moderate. However, in North Carolina major flooding was reported on the Lumber River.

 

“The storm accelerated to the north, then to the northeast as it moved across the middle Atlantic states into New England. Sustained winds gradually decreased to near 40 knots. Raleigh and Greensboro [NC] reported gusts to 31 knots. To the east Elizabeth City was drenched by 8.52 inches of rain. Tornadoes touched down in Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Delaware and New Jersey. Wilmington, Delaware recorded a 46 knot gust, while winds at Richmond gusted to 39 knots. Wind and rain were responsible for widespread power outages all along the eastern seaboard. In the New York metropolitan area, 2.5 million people were without electricity.

 

“David lost its tropical characteristics on September 6^th, by the time it reached New England. A an extratropical storm it moved across New Brunswick and Newfoundland on the 7^th and into the far North Atlantic by the 8^th.

 

“Fatality estimates in the United States range from 10 to 20 [on the website the words “range from 10 to 20 are lined through with a pencil and “5 deaths” is handwritten immediately above]….”

Puerto Rico

 

NCC: “Islandwide [Aug] 29-31…7 [killed]…Hurricane David entered the Caribbean on a west-northwest trajectory passing between Dominica and Martinique, Windward Islands about noon on the 29^th and continued moving along this track passing about 100 miles south of Ponce, Puerto Rico early on the afternoon of the 30^th. By morning of the 31^st the storm veered north and entered the southern coast of the Dominican Republic near the capital city of Santo Domingo.

 

“The effects of Hurricane David’s passage south of Puerto Rico were primarily from flooding along the coastal plains from torrential rains in the upper watersheds, coastal flooding, wave action and wind damage primarily to agriculture. In general, rainfall over the island began during the early morning hours of the 30^th and continued into the early afternoon of the 31^st. The entire island was put under Hurricane and Flood Warnings on the evening of the 29^th. Significant flooding began on the evening of the 30^th and early morning hours of the 31^st. At the height of the flooding there were over 40,000 people in shelters across the island…. Rainfall amounts for the period 30 August to September [1^st?] (measured at 8:00 AM EST) reached a maximum of 19.75 inches at Cidra in La Plata River basin with another maximum area in the south western portion of 19.19 inches at Nagueyes Island. The highest 24-hour total amount measured at Cidra at 8:00 AM AST on the 31^st was 15.05 inches. Amounts of 12 to 14 inches were generally common along the southern slopes of the central cordilleras.

 

“Although sustained hurricane force winds did not reach the island there were unofficial reports of gusts of 100 mph at San Sebastian and Humacao, and 79 mph in Guaynabo….Sustained winds generally measured between 40 to 50 mph Islandwide.

 

“Damages to island roads, highways and bridges were extensive, with numerous landslides on the interior roads generally leaving a good part of the exterior lane completely lost. Wave action and coastal flooding along the southern portions from Naguabo to Cabo Rojo destroyed many sections of coastal road. The Transportation and Public Works Department estimates damages to state and municipal roads and highways at $7.0 millions. Eight highways and 22 roads remained closed immediately after the storm passage.

 

“Damages to housing, household goods and general family possessions were particularly high in those areas where both legal and illegal construction had encroached into the flood plain….

 

“The total death toll is set at seven. Two, considered directly related to the flooding, occurred when a father and his son tried to wade across the swollen Cibuco River near Vega Baja and were swept away by the current. Two electrocutions occurred to Toa Baja from a power cable falling in a puddle of water with another electrocution in Moca. One man was killed in San Sebastian when his car was crushed by a falling tree and one man died while directing traffic around a landslide when he was struck by several rocks.” (National Climatic Center. Storm Data, Vol. 21, No. 8, Aug 1979, p. 17.)

Florida

 

NCC: “Florida Peninsula [Sep] 3-4…0 [killed]…Hurricane David. After devastating the Dominican Republic with winds that exceeded 165 MPH, a much-weakened Hurricane David moved up the Florida east coast on Labor Day. Total damage was estimated by state officials at 95 million dollars, most of which occurred in the middle east coastal counties. Although several people died in storm related activities, no deaths were directly attributed to David in Florida…. Strongest winds recorded in Florida were gusts of 95MPH at the Fort Pierce Coast Guard Station in St. Lucie County….At one time during Labor Day afternoon, David’s winds created a water level differential of over 8 feet on Lake Okeechobee, lowering the water level to 9 feet on the northend of the lake while raising it to 17.5 feet in the Pahokee-Canal Point area. Tides were 3 to 5 feet above normal elsewhere on the Florida east coast….On Anastasia Island, near St. Augustine, 15 foot waves eroded 12 feet of the sea-oat covered sand dunes. Storm rainfall was quite variable with totals mostly 6 to 9 inches near the track of the eye, with a few reports to 11 inches….Some homes, businesses and public buildings were severely damaged or destroyed, but most of the damage, though widespread, was minor….David spawned at least 10 tornadoes in Florida….” (National Climatic Center. Storm Data, Vol. 21, No. 9, Sep 1979, p. 3.)

 

South Carolina

 

NCC: “Eastern and Central S.C. [Sep] 4-5…Center of David entered S.C. near Savannah on evening of 4^th and moved north northeast across S.C. reaching N.C. early on 5^th. Damage totaled 10 million dollars mostly due to high tides, heavy beach erosion, damage from high winds, heavy rains and resultant flooding.” (National Climatic Center. Storm Data, V21, N9, Sep 1979, p. 10.)

 

North Carolina

 

NCC: “Statewide…[Sep] 4-5…Hurricane David moved north through the piedmont causing extensive local flooding; extensive tree damage; wind damaged buildings at piers along the coast; beach erosion on southern beaches; and crop damage….One man was killed in Charlotte when he got lost in a flooded creek. Main stream flooding on the Lumber, Cape Fear, Neuse, and Tar Rivers.” (National Climatic Center. Storm Data, Vol. 21, No. 9, Sep 1979, p. 9.)

 

Virginia

 

NCC: “Statewide [Sep] 5-6…Tropical Storm ‘David’ moved through the western portion of the state during the afternoon and evening of the 5^th, reaching eastern Pennsylvania early on the 6^th. Although average wind velocities were 45 mph in gusts, a rash of at least 8 tornadoes were responsible for over half of the total dame in the storm…Rainfall averaged between 2″ and 4″ with amounts of 6″ or more reported in the Amelia County and in the Norfolk area….Local flooding was fairly widespread…One fatality and 19 injuries were attributed to tornado activity. Power outages due to the large number of fallen trees amounted to some 80,000 homes over the state. Total damage from tree fall, flooding, high tides, wind and tornadoes was figured at $8,572,000, of which about $5.5 million was from tornado activity….” (National Climatic Center. Storm Data, Vol. 21, No. 9, Sep 1979, p. 11)

 

West Virginia

 

NCC: “Eastern Panhandle [Sep] 5-6…aftn. and morn….Heavy rains fell over eastern panhandle as the remains of Hurricane David moved north through Virginia. Flooding was generally minor with some roads blocked. High winds downed some trees and power lines. A 73 year old man was killed on the afternoon of the 5^th outside Capon Bridge in Hampshire county. He was believed to be crossing a small bridge near his home when flood waters washed him off.” (National Climatic Center. Storm Data, Vol. 21, No. 9, Sep 1979, p. 11.)

 

Delaware

 

NCC: “Statewide. [Sep] 5-6…Tropical Storm ‘David’ moved on a north northeasterly track from western Virginia the afternoon and evening of the 5^th, into eastern Pennsylvania early on the 6^th. Being on the east fringe of the storm, Delaware received relatively minor damage. Property damage was light, except for a small section in the north portion of the state [Newcastle County] that experienced a tornado….Maximum wind gusts were recorded up to 45 mph and rainfall totals ranged between one and four inches…” (NCC. Storm Data, V21, N9, Sep 1979, 3.)

 

Maryland

 

NCC: “Statewide [Sep] 5-6…Tropical Storm ‘David’ center moved north northeastward out of western Virginia during the afternoon and evening hours of the 5^th and reached eastern Pennsylvania early on the 6^th. Damage was quite widespread and caused by wind-fallen trees, local flooding and high tides, and about a half-dozen small tornadoes…Baltimore County and City were particularly hard-hit with damage there alone estimated at $50 millions. The one fatality occurred when a Baltimore woman was drowned after being swept out of her car by surging waters on the Jones Falls Expressway, at about 12:30AM on the 6^th. In the Mt. Washington section of Baltimore a wall of water 5 to 6 feet high swept through a shopping center, causing substantial losses. High waters also required the evacuation of some 600 or more persons and 140,000 homes were without power for a time….An 8-inch total [rainfall] was reported from Baltimore County and 8.8 inches at Thurmont, on the east slope of the Catoctin Mountains….” (National Climatic Center. Storm Data, Vol. 21, No. 9, Sep 1979, p. 6.)

 

New Jersey

 

NCC: “Coastal Areas…[Sep] 6…Tropical storm David gusted violently through New Jersey breaking up thousands of trees and utility lines and causing power outages to almost 500,000 households….The storm spawned at least one tornado in southern New Jersey injuring one person and destroying at least three homes….” (National Climatic Center. Storm Data, Vol. 21, No. 9, Sep 1979, p. 8.)

New York

 

NCC: “Coastal (Extreme Southeast, Nassau, Suffolk Co.) [Sep] 6…abt. 4:30 a….Tropical Storm David lashed through the metropolitan area with gale force winds and heavy rain. Flooding resulted not from rainfall, but because of the unusually high tides brought on by the full moon at perigee. A popular opinion holds that our area was hit by one of the small tornadoes that was said to be proceeding in Great Kills, Staten Island. A Brooklyn factory worker was killed by flying glass from a window blown out by a gust of wind…in Central Park…wind at the rate of 53 miles per hour with gusts to 55 miles per hour at 0745 EDT.” (National Climatic Center. Storm Data, Vol. 21, No. 9, Sep 1979, p. 8.)

 

Connecticut

 

NCC: “Statewide. [Sep] 6. All day…Tropical Storm David. Passing to the west of Connecticut David brought southerly wind gusts of 70-80 MPH. Boats were blown from their moorings and smashed against sea walls. Trees were dashed to the ground sometimes crunching houses and automobiles. Electricity was shut off from several hundred thousand people. Though rainfall was much less than expected winds were higher making the overall effect of David very significant assuring it a firm place in weather records.” (NCC. Storm Data, Vol. 21, No. 9, Sep 1979. p. 3.)

 

Massachusetts

 

NCC: “Statewide [Sep] 6. All Day…Tropical Storm David passed to the west of New England bringing gusts of 70-80 MPH. Rains of 3 inches occurred in western portions of the state, but were nearer one inch elsewhere. Three men were injured by falling trees during cleanup work and three teenagers were hurt as a falling tree hit their moving automobile. Many trees were blown down taking power lines to the ground, and many houses were damaged. Along the shore boats were blown from their moorings as anchor chains parted and anchors dragged….” (National Climatic Center. Storm Data, Vol. 21, No. 9, Sep 1979, p. 7.)

 

New Hampshire

 

NCC: “Statewide. [Sep] 6…Remnants of Hurricane David caused heavy rains which produced minor flooding of streets and basements throughout the state. Wind blew trees over and snapped tree limbs off, which severed numerous utility lines and crashed on dwellings and vehicles. Also, there were numerous storm-related traffic accidents and several boats sunk or destroyed. It was roughly estimated that power outage affected 22,000 households from just a few minutes to as long as 16 hours. The worst was reported by Public Service of New Hampshire when 120 mile stretch of power lines was wiped out between Pittsburg (Coos County) NH to Canaan, VT. So many trees downed that lines had to be rebuilt. Peak winds reported: Mt. Washington, elev. 6,288 ft – 174 mph; Portsmouth (Pease AFB) – 61 mph.” (National Climatic Center. Storm Data, Vol. 21, No. 9, Sep 1979, p. 8.)

 

Maine

 

NCC:  “Statewide [Sep] 6…Remnants of Hurricane David caused heavy rains which produced minor flooding of streets and basements throughout the state. Winds blew trees over and snapped tree limbs off, which severed numerous utility lines and crashed on dwellings and vehicles. There were many storm-related traffic accidents and several boats sunk or destroyed. It was roughly estimated that up to 15,000 households were affected by power outages. Peak winds reported: Lewiston-Auburn Airport – 70 mph; Portland – 43 mph….” (NCC. Storm Data, Vol. 21, No. 9, Sep 1979. p. 6.)

 

Sources

 

Associated Press (David L. Langford). “David left his mark.” Odessa American, TX. 9-9-1979, p. 14B. At: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=185671792&sterm

 

Associated Press (Miami). “David Proved Tough Hurricane When It Came To Predicting Path.” Indiana Evening Gazette, Indiana, PA, 9-10-1979, p. 5. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=112126318&sterm

 

Associated Press. “The Nation’s Weather.” Indiana Evening Gazette, Indiana, PA. 9-6-1079, p. 5. At: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=112126263&sterm

 

Barnes, Jay. Florida’s Hurricane History. Chapel Hill and London: UNC Press, 1998.

 

Chronicle-Telegram, Elyria, OH. “David draws a bead on Charleston, S.C.” 9-4-1979, p. 4. At: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=7732429&sterm=florida+hurricane+david

 

Hebert, Paul J. “Atlantic Hurricane Season of 1979.” Monthly Weather Review, Vol. 108, pp. 973-990. Accessed 9-9-2014 at: http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/hurdat/mwr_pdf/1979.pdf

 

Ironwood Daily Globe, MI. “David Now Just a Storm.” 9-5-1979, p. 1. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=84317724&sterm=florida+hurricane

 

Lawrence, Miles. Preliminary Report. Hurricane David, August 25-September 7, 1979. Miami, FL: National Hurricane Center, NOAA, 10-17-1979 (five pages). At:

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/storm_wallets/atlantic/atl1979-prelim/david/prelim01.gif

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/storm_wallets/atlantic/atl1979-prelim/david/prelim02.gif

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/storm_wallets/atlantic/atl1979-prelim/david/prelim03.gif

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/storm_wallets/atlantic/atl1979-prelim/david/prelim04.gif

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/storm_wallets/atlantic/atl1979-prelim/david/prelim05.gif

 

Longshore, David. Encyclopedia of Hurricanes, Typhoons, and Cyclones (New Edition). New York, NY:  Facts on File, 2008. 468 pages. Google preview accessible at: http://books.google.com/books?id=8kXwskQHBLoC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false

 

National Climatic Center. Storm Data, Vol. 21, No. 8, August 1979. Asheville, NC: NCC, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce. Accessed 9-10-2014 at: http://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/orders/IPS/IPS-0A18667C-AE9A-473A-9255-72BD59DEEBF4.pdf

 

National Climatic Center. Storm Data, Vol. 21, No. 9, September 1979. Asheville, NC: NCC, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce. Accessed 9-9-2014 at: http://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/orders/IPS/IPS-662ADE88-B21D-470A-8D63-DF6FA0AFA304.pdf

 

The Herald, Glasgow, Scotland. “Hurricane Hugo death toll rises to 34.” 9-23-1989, p. 4. At: http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2507&dat=19890923&id=ejFAAAAAIBAJ&sjid=R1kMAAAAIBAJ&pg=4057,2070693

 

United Press International, Haina, Dominican Republic. “3 killed as helicopter crashes on relief mission.” Chronicle-Telegram, Elyria, OH. 9-8-1979, A-3. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=7732682&sterm

 

Wikipedia. “Hurricane David.” 8-15-2014 modification. Accessed 9-10-2014 at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_David

 

 

 

[1] Lawrence writes that “Floods were the great killer [p. 3].”

[2] Other than noting direct as opposed to indirect deaths, there is no information on identifiable fatalities (location, date, cause of death, etc.).

[3] On the website the words “range from 10 to 20 are lined through with a pencil and “5 deaths” is handwritten immediately above]….” We speculate this might be a “direct” death reference.

[4] “Nicholson [Key Largo, FL] was the first of 16 Americans who would die in the path of Hurricane David…” (AP. “David left his mark.” Odessa American, TX. 9-9-1979, 14B.)

[5] “David spawned tornadoes from Virginia to New Jersey Wednesday, killing three and bringing…toll to 13.

[6] From Indiana Evening Gazette, Indiana, PA, p. 5.

[7] “Six deaths, ranging from heart attacks to car accidents were blamed on the storm in that [Florida] state.”

[8] Jay Barnes. Florida’s Hurricane History. Chapel Hill and London: UNC Press, 1998, pp. 247-248.

[9] Was moving his sailboat to safer mooring when “The mast snagged an overhead high-tension wire.” According to the article he was the first American fatality. (AP. “David left his mark.” Odessa American, TX. 9-9-1979, 14B.)

[10] Jay Barnes. Florida’s Hurricane History. Chapel Hill and London: UNC Press, 1998, p. 248.

[11] Jay Barnes. Florida’s Hurricane History. Chapel Hill and London: UNC Press, 1998, p. 248.

[12] Jay Barnes. Florida’s Hurricane History. Chapel Hill and London: UNC Press, 1998, p. 248.

[13] An AP report from Savannah noted that “two students from France…went swimming after the hurricane passed and were missing today, apparently dragged out to sea by strong currents.” (Ironwood Daily Globe, MI. “David Now Just a Storm.” 9-5-1979, p. 1.)

[14] National Climatic Center. Storm Data, Vol. 21, No. 9, Sep 1979, p. 6.

[15] National Climatic Center. Storm Data, Vol. 21, No. 9, Sep 1979, p. 8.

[16] National Climatic Center. Storm Data, Vol. 21, No. 9, Sep 1979, p. 9.

[17] National Climatic Center. Storm Data, Vol. 21, No. 9, Sep 1979, p. 11.

[18] Male “was believed to be crossing a small bridge near his home when flood waters washed him off.” (National Climatic Center. Storm Data, Vol. 21, No. 9, Sep 1979, p. 11.)

[19] In addition, a Dominican Navy Colonel was killed as well as a Dominican pediatrician. (UPI, Haina, Dominican Republic. “3 killed as helicopter crashes on relief mission.” Chronicle-Telegram, Elyria, OH. 9-8-1979, A-3.)

—  12  USCG. Marine Casualty Report. MV Inca Tupac Yupanqui, TB Panama City…, 1983.

–10  Inca Tupac Yupanqui crew members.

—  2  Capt. Norman tug crewmembers.

 

Narrative Information

 

USCG Abstract: “On 30 August 1979, at 0710 C.D.T., the Peruvian freighter, MV INCA TUPAC YUPANQUI, while underway downbound in the Lower Mississippi River collided with the moored TB PANAMA CITY [barge]. The collision resulted in an explosion and fire which totally enveloped the INCA TUPAC YUPANQUI, the PANAMA CITY, the dock and the tug CAPT. NORMAN. Twelve persons, ten crew members of the INCA TUPAC YUPANQUI and two crew members of the tug CAPT. NORMAN, died as a result of the casualty. In addition, thirteen persons were injured. This report contains the U.S. Coast Guard Marine Board of Investigation Report and the action taken by the Commandant to determine the proximate cause of the casualty and the recommendations to prevent recurrence. The Commandant has concurred with the Marine Board that the proximate cause of the casualty was the loss of steering control from the bridge of the INCA TUPAC YUPANQUI, which prevented the rudder from turning to the right, as the vessel entered a right turn in the Mississippi River. However, the exact cause of the loss of steering cannot be determined due to extensive fire damage.”

 

Newspapers

 

Aug 30: “Good Hope, La. (AP) — A Peruvian cargo ship slammed into three butane barges at a dock on the Mississippi River and burst into flames today. At least 29 persons were injured and the captain and pilot of the ship were reported missing, the Coast Guard said. Officials identified the missing captain as Carlos Bazo of Peru. The pilot, who presumably was aboard to guide the vessel along the turns of the river, was not identified. Officials said it was not known whether the two were trapped aboard the vessel and it was also not certain how many other crewmen might be missing.

 

“Three Coast Guard helicopters hovered over the burning ship and airlifted some of the crew from its deck. Others apparently jumped into the Mississippi River. Fireboats pumped water on the fire from the river and all available fire trucks sprayed from snorkels and hoses on the riverbank. ‘The ship is wedged hard into the dock itself,’ said Joe Gibson, a Coast Guard spokesman. ‘It is burning and the dock is on fire. The three butane barges drifted downriver and they’re on fire.

 

“The barges were moored on the river side of the levee that protects the Good Hope refinery, Louisiana’s largest independent oil processor, about 30 miles upriver from New Orleans.

 

“The accident occurred after the cargo ship lost its steering as it headed downriver from Baton Rouge with general cargo, including a load of bulk soda ash, said Sidney Gaudet, traffic manager for the vessel’s agent, Roberts Steamship Co. of New Orleans. He identified the ship as the Inca Tupac Yupanqui, operating out of Callao, Peru. He said the entire crew was foreign.

“Witnesses said the ship slammed into the three barges, which were taking on compressed gas at the docks beside the Good Hope refinery. The barges exploded and broke loose, and the ship caught fire.

 

“One survivor told a hospital worker there were 42 men aboard. A check of hospitals in the New Orleans area showed 26 admitted, including eight in serious condition at the burn unit at Ochsner Foundation Hospital…a spokesman at East Jefferson Hospital said 14 men had been admitted, ‘about half are in very bad shape.’….” (Associated Press. “29 injured in fiery ship crash.” The Gazette, Cedar Rapids, IA, 8-30-1979, p. 1.)

 

Aug 31: “Good Hope, La. (UPI) — A runaway Peruvian freighter collided with a butane barge…igniting a massive explosion that killed three men and left three missing….The dead, three crewmen from the 514-foot Incan Tupac Yupanqui, suffered 100 percent burns over their bodies. Two died in Ochsner Foundation Hospital eight hours after the crash and explosion and the third died at West Jefferson Hospital abut an hour later. The dead were indentified as Ascuncion Herta and Henrique Carbonero, both 46 and from Lima, Peru, and Andrus Rodriguez, 59, of Callao, Peru.  The Coast Guard said two of the missing men were among the 43 people on the ship. The third was the captain of a tugboat hooked to the barge….The tug captain was last seen in the river after abandoning his vessel. ‘We have a report from one of the (tugboat) crewmen that he saw the master’ [ a spokesman] said. ‘After they went into the water he saw the master surface and go down again, and they haven’t seen him since.’

 

“Flames and smoke towered above the ship moments after it struck the barge at an oil refinery dock on the east bank of the river…

 

“The barge, with three tanks still on its deck…drifted away and crossed the stream until it struck the west bank 3 miles downriver from the crash site. It continued to burn for hours and forced the authorities to evacuate 250 people from homes close to the river between the towns of Luling and Hahnville….” (UPI. “3 dead, 3 missing as ship collides with barge, setting off explosion.” The Galveston Daily News, TX, 8-31-1979, p. 7B.)

 

Sep 1: “Good Hope, La. (AP) — The last fire died out Friday [Aug 31] and 300 evacuees returned home, but the Coast Guard found no trace of three men missing in a ship-barge collision that claimed four other lives….” (Associated Press. “Ship fire finally out.” Odessa American, TX, 9-1-1979, p. 21.)

 

Sep 2: “New Orleans (UPI) — The bodies of two men missing since a Peruvian freighter rammed a butane barge…were found Saturday, bringing the death toll to six. A seventh man was missing but presumed dead. The body of Charles Henry Smith, 40, captain of the tugboat tied to the barge, was pulled from the muddy waters by the motor vessel Philip, said a spokesman for the St. Charles Parish sheriff’s office. The other body was identified as Indolacio Agurto, 71, quarter master on the Inca Tupac Yupanqui….” (UPI. “2 explosion victims found.” The News, Port Arthur, TX, 9-2-1979, p. 9A.)

 

Sep 3: “Sioux City, La. (AP) — A seventh victim from a fiery ship-barge collision last week was found floating in the Mississippi River on Sunday [Sep 2] authorities said….a tugboat picked up the body of Carlos Rios, 23, after it was spotted by the pilot of a passing ship. Rios was third mate on the…Inca Tupac Yupanqui…. Of more than 20 people injured in the fire, 16 were still in hospitals near New Orleans, six in critical condition….” (Associated Press. “Ship-Barge Collision Claims 7.” Playground Daily News, Fort Walton Beach, FL, 9-3-1979, p. 2B.)

 

Sep 7: “New Orleans (AP) — The first time Capt. Carlos Bazo ever heard of butane gas was a moment of such searing violence it ruined his ship, cost millions in damage and left nine men dead….Capt. Carlos Bazo said in opening day testimony before a Coast Guard board of investigation Thursday [Sep 6]…. ‘It enveloped the whole vessel, bow to stern, including the mast. It did not last more than 20 seconds, maybe 10 seconds, maybe less. It passed through my vessel as a thunderbolt.’….Bazo said the collision…took place after the rudder stuck and steered the ship into the Good Hope refinery loading dock despite every effort to stop it.

 

“Moored at the dock was the barge Panama City and the tug Captain Norman. Shuddering under the strain of engines full astern, the ship touched the barge so lightly it didn’t even dent the bow, Bazo said, but the huge fireball that erupted flared up 1,500 feet high….

 

“Bazo said there was little if anything anybody could do when the rudder locked as the ship was negotiating a curve in the river…

 

“The collision happened at about 7 1.m., with most of the crew still in their quarters….

 

“Capt. Bazos was the first witness summoned before the board on the first day of the hearing. It may be months before the official report is issued….” (Associated Press. “Captain Relieves River Collision.” Leader-Call, Laurel, MS, 9-7-1979, p. 3.)

 

Sep 12: “New Orleans (AP) — Three seamen hospitalized since a freighter rammed a butane barge on the Mississippi River at Good Hope are suing the ship’s owners and the owners of other vessels involved for a total of $29 million. The Peruvian seamen were among 26 men burned in the crash. Ten of them either were killed when a butane fireball boiled over the ship, barge and a nearby tug, or died later from their burns. Three others also remain hospitalized….

 

“In the suits, the Peruvian seamen claim that the Peruvian ship Inca Tupac Yupanqui was unseaworthy and manned and navigated by persons who were careless, incompetent and inattentive. They also allege the ship failed to keep a proper lookout and thus ‘negligently caused the explosion and resulting fires.’….” (Associated Press. “Injured Seamen Sue. Seek $29 Million.” Leader-Call, Laurel, MS, 9-12-1979, p. 8.)

 

Sources

 

Associated Press. “29 injured in fiery ship crash.” The Gazette, Cedar Rapids, IA, 8-30-1979, p. 1. Accessed 7-19-2017 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/cedar-rapids-gazette-aug-30-1979-p-1/?tag

 

Associated Press. “Captain Relieves River Collision.” Leader-Call, Laurel, MS, 9-7-1979, p. 3. Accessed 7-19-2017 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/laurel-leader-call-sep-07-1979-p-3/?tag

 

Associated Press. “Injured Seamen Sue. Seek $29 Million.” Leader-Call, Laurel, MS, 9-12-1979, p. 8. Accessed 7-19-2017 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/laurel-leader-call-sep-12-1979-p-8/?tag

 

Associated Press. “Ship-Barge Collision Claims 7.” Playground Daily News, Fort Walton Beach, FL, 9-3-1979, p. 2B. Accessed 7-19-2017 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/fort-walton-beach-playground-daily-news-sep-03-1979-p-9/?tag

 

Associated Press. “Ship fire finally out.” Odessa American, TX, 9-1-1979, p. 21. Accessed 7-19-2017 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/odessa-american-sep-01-1979-p-21/?tag

 

United Press International. “2 explosion victims found.” The News, Port Arthur, TX, 9-2-1979, p. 9A. Accessed 7-19-2017 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/port-arthur-news-sep-02-1979-p-9/?tag

 

United Press International. “3 dead, 3 missing as ship collides with barge, setting off explosion.” The Galveston Daily News, TX, 8-31-1979, p. 7B. Accessed 7-19-2017 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/galveston-daily-news-aug-31-1979-p-43/?tag

 

United States Coast Guard.  Marine Casualty Report. MV Inca Tupac Yupanqui, TB Panama City, Tug Capt. Norman; Collision in the Lower Mississippi River on 30 August 1979 with Loss of Life (Report No. USCG 16732/01281).  Washington, DC:  Commandant, USCG, May 10, 1983, 31 pages.  Accessed at: http://www.uscg.mil/hq/cg5/docs/boards/incatupac.pdf

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

–5  Abernethy. “One for the Road…Rosemont Stadium Roof Collapse.” Chicagoist.com. 8-13-2012.

–5  AP. “Stadium Roof Collapses Killing Five Workers.” Daily Gazette, Sterling, IL, 8-13-1979, p3.

–5  Carper and Feld.  Construction Failure. 1997, p. 9.

 

Narrative Information

Abernathy: “On this date in 1979 [Aug 13], the roof of the Rosemont Horizon (which would later become Allstate Arena) collapsed and killing five workers and injuring 16. The wooden roof of the 20,000-seat arena was 90 percent complete when it suddenly collapsed…. an Occupational Safety and Health Administration investigation revealed, “The building was in such unstable condition that anything could have set off the collapse. You could have blown on it and knocked it down.”” (Abernethy, Samantha. “One for the Road: The 1979 Rosemont Stadium Roof Collapse.” Chicagoist.com. 8-13-2012.)

 

Feld an Carper: “Failures regularly occur during construction of timber structures due to inadequate connections. On August 14, 1979,[1] the $8 million Rosemont Horizon Arena sports complex…collapsed, killing five workers and injuring 16 others…The collapse brought down the entire roof of the 20,000-seat arena. The roof was framed with 16 glued-laminated arches spanning 88 m (288 ft) and bearing on 17-m (56-ft)-long precast concrete buttresses. The stadium is 116 m (382 ft) long. Wood was selected to diminish the noise from the intense local air traffic…

 

“The 1.85-m (6.1-ft)-deep arches were tied together by 940-mm (3.1-ft)-deep girders interspersed with groups of three purlins. At the connections between arches and girders, an angle iron was connected to the arch with several bolts and to the girder with three. The last arches at the east end were being erected, and the stadium was 90 percent complete when the collapse occurred. Missing bolts were identified as a key factor early in the collapse investigation. The bolts in question were those that should have connected the laminated wood roof arches to the cross girders that ran perpendicular to them…” (Feld and Carper. Construction Failure (Second Edition). NY: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1997, p. 170.

 

Newspaper

 

Aug 13: “Rosemont, Ill. (AP) — The roof of a multipurpose stadium under construction near O’Hare International Airport collapsed today moments after a plane thundered overhead, killing five persons and injuring 15, officials said….” (AP/Arthur H. Rotstein. “Stadium Roof Collapses Killing Five Workers.” The Daily Gazette, Sterling, IL, 8-13-1979, p. 3.)

 

Sources

 

Abernethy, Samantha. “One for the Road: The 1979 Rosemont Stadium Roof Collapse.” Chicagoist.com. 8-13-2012. Accessed 7-21-2017: http://chicagoist.com/2012/08/13/one_for_the_road_82.php

 

Associated Press (Arthur H. Rotstein). “Stadium Roof Collapses Killing Five Workers.” The Daily Gazette, Sterling, IL, 8-13-1979, p. 3. Accessed 7-21-2017 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/sterling-daily-gazette-aug-13-1979-p-3/?tag

 

Carper, Kenneth L. and Jacob Feld. Construction Failure.  John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1997. Partially digitized by Google at: http://books.google.com/books?id=-jnlb-oJxcEC&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_v2_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q=&f=true

 

Feld, Jacob and Kenneth L. Carper. Construction Failure (Second Edition). NY: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1997. Google digitized. Accessed 7-21-2017 at: https://books.google.com/books?id=-jnlb-oJxcEC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false

 

 

 

[1] Inaccurate — was August 13.

— 10  Demers. “Familiar Problems Cause 10 Deaths in Hotel Fire.” Fire Journal, Jan 1980, p.52.

— 10  Demers/NBS/USFA. Investigation Report, Hotel Fire, Cambridge, Ohio, Ten Fatalities…

— 10  Greenpeace. PVC Fires List.  Cambridge, Ohio, July 31, 1979.”  June 1994.

— 10  Leagle, Inc. “State v. Willey.” 5 Ohio App. 3d 86 (1981).

— 10  McKay, Robert. “Stan Chesley…Master of Disaster.” Cincinnati Magazine, Mar 1985, 80.

— 10  NFPA. “Recent Multi-Fatality Fires,” US Congress, House. Boarding Home Fires, 71-73.

— 10  NYT. “Arson is Blamed for Motel Blaze in Ohio Killing 10 and Injuring 78.” 8-10-1979.

— 10  UPI. “10^th victim of Cambridge fire is dead.” Sandusky Register, OH. 8-4-1979, p. A8.

 

Narrative Information

 

Demers/NFPA: “Ten people died and 82 others were injured in a fire in the Cambridge, Ohio, Holiday Inn on July 31, 1979. The fire was almost a carbon copy of the Holiday Inn fire that killed ten in Greece, New York, on November 26, 1978. In both cases, the primary factors that led to deaths were combustible interior finish, unprotected vertical openings, and inadequate notification of the occupants…. [Abstract, p. 52.]

 

“The hotel was constructed about 1968, and was re­portedly redecorated and refinished in 1975…. The guest-room wings of the two-story building formed a wide V configuration…A passageway connected the northeast end of the guest- room wings with the restaurant-registration area of the building. The latter part of the building was not directly involved in the fire, but did receive smoke damage.

 

“The building had 107 guest rooms and an interior cor­ridor system. There were three stairways in the guest- room wings, one at each end and one approximately in the middle….

 

“Building Details. The building was constructed of masonry and would be classified as protected noncombustible. Exterior walls were concrete masonry units faced with brick. Partitions between guest rooms were eight-inch concrete masonry units, and the partition between guest rooms and the corridor was gypsum board on steel studs. There was fiberglass sound insulation in the stud channels. The ceiling-floor system and ceiling-roof system consisted of poured-in-place reinforced concrete. All ceilings were of plastered concrete, with the exception of the first-floor corridor. The first-floor corridor had a suspended ceiling of acoustical tile in metal channels. The tile was of lim­ited combustibility. Utilities were placed in the con­cealed space above the first-floor ceiling.

 

“The three stairways were about five feet wide and were constructed of steel and masonry. An enclosed storage closet was constructed underneath at least one of the stairways. There was no barrier to fire spread at the end of the corridors, resulting in open stairways.

 

“The 32-inch-wide doors of guest rooms were of solid composition construction. There were no self-closing devices on guest-room doors. Also, there were no smoke- barriers within the corridors.

 

“On the exterior wall of each guest room were two 32-inch-by-77-inch factory-assembled, non-openable windows… [end of p. 52]

 

“The interior wall covering of the guest-room wings included two types of combustible vinyl. A plain vinyl was used on most of the corridor walls. Around guest-room doors, a striped vinyl material was utilized. Under these solid vinyl wall coverings were several thicknesses of material, which included vinyl, fabric, and paper….The surface vinyl materials behaved quite differently during the fire incident. The striped vinyl melted, dripped, and burned, while the plain vinyl burned in place.

 

“The floor covering consisted of nylon shag carpeting with a jute backing and pad. The carpeting did contrib­ute to the fire….

 

“There was no emergency lighting in the hotel.

 

“The building was equipped with a fire alarm system that had manual pull stations as initiating devices. One six-inch gong was provided for each 190 feet of corridor, with a total of four gongs for the entire corridor system of the guest-room wings. The alarm system was set up for a local alarm only and was not connected to the Cam­bridge Fire Department….

 

“At the time of the fire and at the time the Holiday Inn was built, the city of Cambridge did not have a state-accredited building department. As a result, the State Building Code was enforced by the Ohio Depart­ment of Industrial Relations, Division of Factory and Building Inspection. The Ohio State Building Code in effect at the time of construction was unique to Ohio and was not based on a model building code…. [p. 53.]

 

“Fire growth and development was rapid. The fire apparently started in the corridor on the first floor. The shag carpeting and combustible wall covering ig­nited and spread the fire, and produced heavy smoke. The fire and products of combustion traveled horizon­ tally down the corridor and then into the open stairway at the north end of the north guest-room wing. Fire caused the plate-glass exterior windows of the stairway to break out, providing a fresh supply of oxygen to the fire. The fire quickly spread up the combustible wall covering of the stairway and down the second-floor cor­ridor of the north wing.

 

“Initial efforts of people on the scene before fire ap­paratus arrived consisted of banging on windows on the outside of the building or breaking them with various implements, including iron bars and golf clubs. Appar­ently hotel room occupants became trapped in their rooms fairly early in the fire, and thus they tried to escape through the heavy plate-glass exterior windows. These windows were extremely difficult to break, and in some cases occupants made several attempts to break them out with furniture. The NFPA study at this time has been unable to locate any survivors who actually used the corridors for evacuation. So far as is known, all survivors escaped only after exterior windows were bro­ken by occupants, other civilians on the fireground, police, and fire fighters…. [p. 54.]

 

“Cause of death of all 10 fatalities was listed by the county coroner as smoke inhalation and carbon monoxide poisoning. Two of the fatalities were found in guest rooms with the doors open, five were found in the second-floor corridor in positions that indicate they were heading toward the north stairway, two victims were found on the first floor of the north stairway, and one victim died in a hospital four days after the fire…All of the fatalities were occupants of guest rooms on the second floor in the north-wing corridor…. [p. 55.]

 

“The initial fire development created untenable condi­tions in the corridors before the manual alarm system was activated. Even when the manual alarm system was sounded, it was apparently ineffective because it was not loud enough to be heard in guest rooms. Reportedly, many guests thought an alarm clock was going off or a telephone was ringing; they did not recognize the fire alarm signal.

 

“The lack of early warning detection resulted in the fire spreading undetected for some time. A contributing fac­tor to the early development of untenable conditions in the exit access corridors was the lack of any type of “smokestop barriers” (not necessarily “horizontal exits”). Products of combustion traveled without restriction, creating untenable conditions at the extreme southern end of the south guest-room wing. This was nearly 400 feet from the northeast end of the north wing where the fatalities were concentrated….” [p. 56. (Demers. “Familiar Problems Cause 10 Deaths in Hotel Fire.” NFPA Fire Journal, Jan 1980, pp. 52-56.)

 

Demers/NBS/USFA: “On Tuesday, July 31, 1979, at 3:26 a.m., a fire was reported at the Holiday Inn, Southgate Parkway, Cambridge, Ohio. Cambridge is located approximately 75 miles east of Columbus on Interstate Route #70, at the intersection of Interstate Route 77….

 

“The primary factors that led to the casualties in this incident were the high smoke production of the combustible interior finish, the unprotected vertical openings at the stairways, the lack of early warning detection and the inadequate alerting of occupants of the fire. Many guests were seriously injured while escaping through non-operable plate glass windows. Solid doors on guest rooms provided compartmentation and helped to limit the number of casualties.” [Abstract] (Demers, David P. Investigation Report, Hotel Fire, Cambridge, Ohio, Ten Fatalities, July 31, 1979. National Fire Protection Association, circa 1979, 24 pages.)

 

Greenpeace: “Ten people died and another 82 were injured in a fire at a Holiday Inn….the primary factors that led to deaths were combustible interior finish, unprotected vertical openings, and inadequate notification of the occupants.

 

“The interior wall covering of the guest room wings included two types of combustible vinyl.  A plain vinyl was used on most the corridor walls. Around guestroom doors, a striped vinyl material was utilized.  Under these solid vinyl wall-coverings were several thicknesses of material, which included vinyl, fabric and paper. The surface vinyl materials behaved quite differently during the fire incident.  The striped vinyl melted, dripped, and burned, while the plain vinyl burned in place.  The nylon shag carpeting also contributed to the fire.

 

“At the time of the fire there were approximately 200 registered guests in the 107 rooms of the hotel.  Only four of the guest rooms were unoccupied.

 

“The fire was discovered at 3:25 am by two people playing a pinball machine in the passageway that connected the guest-room wings and the lobby-restaurant area.  They smelled smoke and saw it traveling at ceiling level in the guest-room corridor, which was visible from the passageway.

 

“Fire growth and development was rapid.  The fire apparently started in the corridor on the first floor.  The shag carpeting and combustible wall-covering ignited and spread the fire, producing heavy smoke.  The fire and products of combustion traveled horizontally down the corridor and then into the open stairway.  The fire quickly spread up the wall-covering of the stairway and down the second floor corridor of the north wing.

 

“Apparently hotel room occupants became trapped in their rooms fairly early in the fire, and thus attempted to escape through heavy plate glass (difficult to break) exterior windows.  There were no survivors who used the corridors for evacuation.  There was not a great deal of flame in the building, but there was a moderate amount of heat.  Besides injuries related to escape methods, survivors had smoke inhalation injuries.  The county coroner listed cause of death for all ten fatalities to be smoke inhalation and carbon monoxide poisoning.  One of the victims died in a hospital four days after the fire.  All of the fatalities were on the second floor in the north wing corridor….The initial fire development created untenable conditions in the corridors before the manual alarm system was activated.” (Greenpeace. PVC Fires List. Cambridge OH.”  June 1994.)

 

Leagle: “On July 31, 1979, the Holiday Inn at Cambridge, Ohio sustained a fire and ten persons perished as a result of smoke inhalation. Defendant-appellant, Gerald G. Willey, who was indicted for one count of aggravated arson and ten counts of aggravated murder, appeals his convictions and sentence following a trial to a jury which found him guilty of one count of aggravated arson and ten counts of involuntary manslaughter.

 

“The evidence indicated that defendant was a guest at the motel along with other members of a road painting crew. Defendant was involved in an argument in the lounge of the motel and in the parking lot. He had been drinking and was enraged at the motel.

 

“Evidence produced indicated he told his roommate he was going to “burn the place down.” He did have gasoline available in a tank on the truck in the lot and returned to the motel with a five-gallon gasoline can. His roommate heard the sound of liquid being poured and defendant later woke him and told him, “The place is on fire.”

 

“Expert testimony identified the gasoline as the accelerant used in the fire.

 

“Defendant was not arrested immediately following the fire, but was arrested March 9, 1980, following an extended investigation. The original arrest was on one count of arson, and he posted bail and was released on March 17, 1980.

 

“On April 9, 1980, defendant was indicted on the charge first described and taken back into custody for arraignment April 11. He remained in custody thereafter….

 

“Trial itself commenced July 18 and was completed on the morning of July 23 when the jury retired to deliberate. The jury was sequestered during such deliberations and returned with the verdict on the evening of July 25….” (Leagle, Inc. “State v. Willey.”)

 

McKay:  “…an arsonist set a fire in a Holiday Inn in Cambridge, Ohio, spreading gasoline on a first-floor carpet and igniting it with a match. It was a typical two-story roadside motel. Ten people died, twenty were injured.  [Lawyer] Stan Chesley skirted the seemingly immediate and sole cause, the arsonist, and pointed for the motel. He argued that the victims on the second floor did not die of fire, they died of smoke and the inhalation of toxic fumes, and they died because they could not get out of their rooms. Structurally, the building was a firetrap and it was also a deathtrap because the ceiling-to-floor windows in the rear of each room could not be opened, or broken.  The case was settled out of court for $6 million.”  (McKay, Robert. “Stan Chesley The Master of Disaster.” Cincinnati Magazine, Mar 1985, pp. 78-85.)

 

Newspapers

 

July 31: “Cambridge (UPI) — Nine people were killed early today and about 60 others were injured, some of whom smashed windows and jumped from the second floor, when fire broke out in the northeast wind of a two-story Holiday Inn Motel. Thick, toxic black smoke, caused by burning vinyl wall covering, raced through the motel, packed with summer vacation travelers….

 

“The state Fire Marshal’s office said the motel did not have a sprinkler system….Frank Jewell, chief of the state fire marshal’s office in nearby St. Clairsville, said the fire, which broke out about 3:30 a.m., started in a first floor hallway but the cause was undetermined…” (United Press International. “Cambridge fire kills nine.” Crescent-News, Defiance, OH, 7-31-1979, p. 1.)

 

Aug 1: “Cambridge, Ohio (AP) — State fire officials are trying to determine the cause of a killer fire early Tuesday that claimed the lives of nine persons, four of them children…Investigators, who pinpointed a spot along a wall in the northeast section of the first floor where the blaze began, are not ruling out arson….

 

“‘It was like a coal mine fire,’ assistant fire marshal Frank Jewell said. ‘It roared down the (first floor) corridor’ and then back again, ‘and like a natural chimney it went right up the stairs.’….” (Associated Press. “Cause of inn fire still not known.” The Times Reporter, Dover-New Philadelphia, OH, 8-1-1979, p. 1.)

 

Aug 1: “Among the nine persons who died in the Tuesday morning fire in…Cambridge were four members of a Parkersburg, W. Va., family. They were identified as Esther Albright, 66; her grand-daughter, Sharon Albright, 12; her grandson, Matthew Rotunda, 3; and Matthew’s mother, Mary Rotunda, 25. Other victims were Pamuela Ricketts, 23 of Westerville; Samuel Saloum, 62, of Ford City, Pa.; Lt. Col. Robert R. Summers, 42, stationed at Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Fairborn, O.’ Summers’ wife, Diane, 39, and Summers’ son, Scott R., 14….” (Times Reporter, Dover-New Philadelphia, OH. “Fire dead include 4 in family.” 8-1-1979, p. 3.)

 

Aug 2: “Fleeing their hotel rooms probably led to the deaths of nine persons in the Cambridge Holiday Inn, fire officials said today. Eight of the victims were found in hallways and the other in a room with the door open. Fire officials from Cambridge believe if the victims had stayed in their rooms with the doors shut, they could have survived the fire, which was brought under control in about 15 minutes. The heavy oak doors on the rooms would have kept the smoke level in the rooms below the danger point, officials said. All of the victims died of smoke inhalation, Ohio Fire Marshal William B. Sanders said today.

 

“Sanders’ investigating team has not ruled out arson amid reports two persons reported smelling gasoline during the fire….

 

“The fire may prompt legislation that would require sprinkler systems to be installed in motels and hotels in Ohio. Rep. Thomas W. Johnson, R-Cambridge, said he would ask the state fire marshal’s office to make a complete report on the fire and give suggestions for preventing future ones. Currently, sprinklers are not required for hotels and motels under state law. Some municipalities, however — including Elyria — do have requirements for a sprinkler system in tall public-use buildings. Cambridge has a regulation requiring smoke detectors, but the motel was constructed prior to the passage of that ordinance.” (Chronicle-Telegram, Elyria, OH. “Remaining in rooms would have cut motel death total.” 8-2-1979, p. E1.)

 

Aug 4: “Cambridge, Ohio (UPI) — The toll from the Holiday Inn motel fire last Tuesday rose to 10 Friday [Aug 3] with the death of Jacqueline Harbegger, 51, of Brownsburg, Ind. Officials at Guernsey County Memorial Hospital said Mrs. Harbegger, whose husband Elmer is a doctor in Brownsburg, died from heart and lung complications suffered during the fire….Mrs. Harbegger…suffered severe smoke inhalation….” (UPI. “10^th victim of Cambridge fire is dead.” Sandusky Register, OH. 8-4-1979, p. A8.)

 

Aug 9, NYT: “Cambridge, Ohio, Aug. 9 (UPI) — An arsonist set the July 31 fire in the Cambridge Holiday Inn that killed 10 persons and injured 78 others, the state Fire Marshal’s Office said today. ‘The arson bureau investigators have concluded that a fire of incendiary origin was set within the first floor hallway of the motel,’ said Harry McLaughlin, in nearby St. Clairsville. Mr. McLaughlin, who appeared at news conference with the Police Chief, Charles Morehead, said that an “accelerant” was used to fuel the blaze, but he would not say what type of chemical or agent may have been used….” (New York Times. “Arson is Blamed for Motel Blaze in Ohio Killing 10 and Injuring 78.” 8-10-1979.)

 

Aug 28: “Columbus (UPI) — Legislation requiring automatic fire extinguishing or detection devices in places of public assembly has received a rough reception from the Ohio House Ways and Means Committee….The fire safety bill, a milder version of one killed in subcommittee in 1977, has been revived by a Cambridge motel fire which left 10 people dead and 77 injured, was peppered with criticism during initial testimony Monday. State Rep. William H. Hinig, D-New Philadelphia, committee chairman, indicated a number of problems remain to be worked out, and that no special haste will be made….

 

“State Rep. Paul R. Leonard, D-Dayton, said his fire safety bill offers a tax break of up to one-third the cost of installation of sprinkler systems or smoke detectors, with the state Board of Building Standards making regulations on which is required. Sprinkler systems would be required in buildings designed after June 30, 1981, and in existing buildings, unless exempted by the Board of Building Standards, by June 30, 1986. ‘My basic intent is to get at places which attract crowds on a regular basis,’ said Leonard, noting that the requirement would apply to any establishment with a gathering place used by 50 or more people for amusement or entertainment.

 

“Strong opposition has come from the Ohio State Restaurant Association and the Ohio Hotel and Motel Association, which contend the installation of sprinkler systems would be too costly. State Rep. Robert L. Corbin, R-Dayton, a restaurant owner, offered objections along those lines Tuesday. ‘I think we need to consider smoke detectors from the financial standpoint,’ said Corbin. ‘They do as much good as sprinklers do as far as saving lives.’ Corbin said it would cost his restaurant $50,000 to $90,000 to install a sprinkler system, and only $1,500 to $2,000 to install smoke detectors. ‘What price do you put on a human life?’ argued Leonard. ‘When an establishment spends $75,000 to remodel, it should be willing to make fire safety a part of that project. ‘I don’t think people mind paying an extra 10 cents on their steak or five cents on their drink if they know when they go in that they’re going to come out alive.’

 

“Other objections raised to the bill included:

 

Tax exemptions would add to the financial burden of the state.

 

There are limitations to public water supplies serving the sprinkler systems.

 

The Board of Building Standards is steeped in bureaucracy.

 

Public school children would not be protected by the bill, since it applies only to the private sector.” (UPI. “Fire safety proposal gets rough reception.” Sandusky Register, OH, 8-28-1979, p. A16.)

 

July 26, 1980: “Cambridge (AP) — Gerald Willey’s attorney says he plans to appeal a jury’s finding that his client was not guilty of setting last year’s Cambridge Holiday Inn fire. A jury ended more than 27 hours of deliberation Friday [July 25] by finding Willey, 21, of Randolph guilty of one count of aggravated arson and 10 counts of involuntary manslaughter. The latter charges were reduced by the six-man, six-woman jury from the original aggravated murder charge…..

 

“Throughout the trial, prosecutors had maintained that Willey set the fire after arguing with the motel management over a fight in its bar….” (AP. “Willey convicted in Holiday Inn Fire.” Times-Reporter, Dover, OH, 7-26-1980, p. 1.)

 

Aug 2, 1980: “Cambridge (AP) — Gerald Willey, convicted of setting the Cambridge Holiday Inn on fire a year ago, was sentenced to 14 to 50 years in prison….” (AP. “Willey gets 14 to 50 years in Holiday Inn arson case.” Times-Reporter, Dover, OH, 8-2-1979, p. 1.)

 

Sources

 

Associated Press (Michael Hoffman). “Cause of inn fire still not known.” The Times Reporter, Dover-New Philadelphia, OH, 8-1-1979, p. 1. Accessed 7-20-2017 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/dover-times-reporter-aug-01-1979/

 

Associated Press. “Willey convicted in Holiday Inn Fire.” Times-Reporter, Dover-New Philadelphia, OH, 7-26-1980, p. 1. Accessed 7-20-2017 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/dover-times-reporter-jul-26-1980-p-1/?tag

 

Associated Press. “Willey gets 14 to 50 years in Holiday Inn arson case.” Times-Reporter, Dover, OH, 8-2-1979, p. 1. Accessed 7-20-2017 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/dover-times-reporter-aug-02-1980-p-1/?tag

 

Chronicle-Telegram (Don Norris), Elyria, OH. “Remaining in rooms would have cut motel death total.” 8-2-1979, p. E1. Accessed 7-20-2017 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/elyria-chronicle-telegram-aug-02-1979-p-37/?tag

 

Demers, David P. (NFPA Fire Analysis Specialist). “Familiar Problems Cause 10 Deaths in Hotel Fire.” Boston, MA: National Fire Protection Association, Fire Journal (bimonthly), Jan 1980, pp. 52-56.

 

Demers, David P. (in cooperation with the National Bureau of Standards and the United States Fire Administration). Investigation Report, Hotel Fire, Cambridge, Ohio, Ten Fatalities, July 31, 1979. Boston, MA: National Fire Protection Association, 24 pages.

 

Greenpeace. PVC Fires List. June 1994. Accessed 7-20-2017 at: http://pvcinformation.org/assets/pdf/PVC_FiresList.pdf

 

Leagle, Inc. “State v. Willey.” 5 Ohio App. 3d 86 (1981). Accessed 7-20-2017 at: http://www.leagle.com/decision/1981915OhioApp3d86_171/STATE%20v.%20WILLEY

 

McKay, Robert. “Stan Chesley The Master of Disaster.” Cincinnati Magazine, Mar 1985, pp. 78-85.  http://books.google.co.in/books?id=ax8DAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA80#v=onepage&q&f=false

 

National Fire Protection Association. “Recent Multi-Fatality Fires.”  In: U.S. Congress, House.  Boarding Home Fires: New Jersey (Hearing, March 9, 1981), pp. 71-73.

 

New York Times. “Arson is Blamed for Motel Blaze in Ohio Killing 10 and Injuring 78.” 8-10-1979. Accessed 7-20-2017 at: http://www.nytimes.com/1979/08/10/archives/arson-is-blamed-for-motel-blaze-in-ohio-killing-10-and-injuring-78.html

 

Times Reporter, Dover-New Philadelphia, OH. “Fire dead include 4 in family.” 8-1-1979, p. 3. Accessed 7-20-2017 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/dover-times-reporter-aug-01-1979-p-3/

 

United Press International. “10^th victim of Cambridge fire is dead.” Sandusky Register, OH. 8-4-1979, p. A8. Accessed 7-20-2017 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/sandusky-register-aug-04-1979-p-8/?tag

 

United Press International. “Cambridge fire kills nine.” Crescent-News, Defiance, OH, 7-31-1979, p. 1. Accessed 7-20-2017 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/defiance-crescent-news-jul-31-1979-p-13/?tag

 

United Press International (Lee Leonard). “Fire safety proposal gets rough reception.” Sandusky Register, OH, 8-28-1979, p. A16. Accessed 7-20-2017 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/sandusky-register-aug-28-1979-p-16/?tag

 

 

–1  AP. “Hail Storm Injuries Claim…Infant.” Gazette Telegraph, Colorado Springs, 8-8-1979, 4A.

–1  Ludlum.  The American Weather Book, 1982, p. 153.

–1  Schmidlin and Schmidlin.  Thunder in the Heartland. 1906, p. 305.

 

Narrative Information

 

Ludlum: “…an infant in its mother’s arms was killed by hail at Fort Collins, Colorado, on 30 July 1979 (Ludlum 1982, 153).”

 

Newspaper

 

Aug 8: “Fort Collins, Colo. (AP) — Jolene Kappelman, 3 months, who suffered head injuries during a 20-minute hailstorm here July 30, has died of her injuries, a Poudre Valley Memorial Hospital spokesman said. The spokesman said the girl died of a cerebral hemorrhage Tuesday [Aug 7]. She underwent surgery shortly after her admission to the hospital, but did not regain consciousness, the spokesman said….The girl was the only persons who died as a result of the storm, which produced grapefruit-size hail, and caused up to $20 million worth of property damage.” (AP. “Hail Storm Injuries Claim Life of Infant.” Gazette Telegraph, Colorado Springs, CO, 8-8-1979, 4A.)

 

Sources

 

Associated Press. “Hail Storm Injuries Claim Life of Infant.” Gazette Telegraph, Colorado Springs, CO, 8-8-1979, 4A. Accessed 7-22-2017 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/colorado-springs-gazette-aug-08-1979-p-4/?tag

 

Ludlum, David M. The American Weather Book. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1982.

 

Schmidlin, Thomas W. and Jeanne Appelhans Schmidlin. Thunder in the Heartland: A Chronicle of Outstanding Weather Events in Ohio. Kent State University Press, 1996, 362 pages.  Partially digitized by Google at:  http://books.google.com/books?id=QANPLARGXFMC&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_v2_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q=&f=false

 

 

 

 

—  10  Aviation Safety Network. Accident Description. US Forest Service, 11 June 1979.

—  10  Baugher. 1943 USAAF Serial Numbers (43-5109 to 43-52437). 11-7-2011 rev.

 

Narrative Information

Aviation Safety Network:

“Date:                          Monday 11 June 1979

“Time:                         ca 09:45

“Type:                         Douglas C-47A-90-DL (DC-3)

“Operator:                   U.S. Forest Service

“Registration:              N148Z

“C/n / msn:                  20422

“First flight:                1944

“Engines:                     2 Pratt & Whitney R-1830-92

“Crew:                         Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2

“Passengers:                Fatalities: 8/ Occupants: 10

“Total:                         Fatalities: 10 / Occupants: 12

“Airplane damage:      Destroyed

….

“Location:                   48 km (30 mls) NE of Elk City, ID

“Crash site elevation:  610 m (2001 feet)

“Phase:                        En route (ENR)

….

“Departure airport:      Grangeville-Idaho County Airport, ID, United States of America

“Destination airport:   Moose Creek Airstrip, ID….

 

Baugher: “Douglas C-47A-90-DL….15956 (c/n 20422) delivered to USAAF, converted to EC-47A. To civil for U.S. Department of Justice (Immigration & Naturalization Service) as N3630G, to N148Z for the US Forest Service. W/o Jun 11, 1979 when one engine caught fire and separated from the wing. A forced landing was carried out on the Selway River. 48 km (30 mls) NE of Elk City, ID, 10 fatal.” (Baugher. 1943 USAAF Serial Numbers (43-5109 to 43-52437). 11-7-2011.)

 

FitzPatrick: “June 11, 1979 was a beautiful day in the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness Area of northeast Idaho [Nez Perce National Forest]. The weather in the area was reported as generally clear with a thin layer of overcast clouds at 25,000 feet above ground level. The visibility was between 30 to 40 miles and the wind speed was four knots….

 

“A Forest Service owned and operated Douglas Commercial (DC)-3 C-47 and its two person crew started their day dispatched from the Grangeville, Idaho Airport to transport personnel and gear to the Moose Creek Ranger Station up the Selway River, a distance of about 60 miles. On board the aircraft were 11 Forest Service employees (which included the pilot and copilot), one volunteer, 3,100 pounds of cargo, and two canines. Some of the passengers were going to be taking part in training so that they could provide guidance and direction to wilderness users and other passengers were enroute to check the new water system installed at the Ranger Station.

 

“The aircraft had been configured for smokejumper missions and consequently all of the passengers were sitting on the port side of the aircraft facing the cargo on the other side. The cargo was held in place with retaining straps.

 

“The pilot radioed upon take off at 0928 hours Pacific Daylight Time (PDT). The pilots began to fly the normal route, over the river, and to the Ranger Station. Their next radio check-in would be due in 20 minutes, about 0950 PDT.

 

“When the Nez Perce National Forest Dispatch Office could not contact the DC-3 and determined her to be late for arrival at the Ranger Station, a search aircraft was dispatched from the Grangeville Airport. The time then was 1030 PDT. This search aircraft picked up the Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT) signal emanating from the DC-3. A second fixed-wing aircraft and a helicopter were then dispatched to assist the search. The DC-3 was visually located at 1200 PDT.

 

“While the search was in progress, an aircraft with 14 rescue-trained smokejumpers was dispatched from the Northern Region, Regional Fire Center in Missoula, Montana. This group included seven certified Emergency Medical Technician’s (EMT’s). All 14 jumped to the mishap sight soon after it was located.

 

“The aircraft was found in the Selway River, approximately ten miles downriver from the Ranger Station. It had broken up and sections of the wreckage were scattered approximately six miles downstream by a rapid current. The location was a steep, timbered, rocky-river canyon at an elevation of 2,000 feet mean sea level (MSL). Three passengers survived the mishap; however, one of these survivors succumbed to his injuries before he could be transported to the hospital. Search, rescue, and recovery efforts continued until July 14, 1979, when all victims were accounted for.

 

“The DC-3 had apparently developed engine problems during their flight. Two observers, one a private airplane pilot, watched the aircraft take off at the Grangeville Airport. These observers reported black smoke coming from the right engine for a short period during takeoff. The smoke stopped as the aircraft circled the airport. Both observers felt the smoke was not excessive or unusual, but rather the result of a “too-rich” fuel mixture.

 

“There were also indications that the DC-3’s left engine experienced problems during its flight. The survivors reported that just prior to shutting down and feathering the left engine, the pilot made an announcement to the passengers that he had made a decision to return to the Grangeville Airport.

 

“The aircraft was observed experiencing engine trouble a few miles before the mishap site. Several visitors who were rafting and backpacking in the wilderness area observed the aircraft as it proceeded on its flight path up the river. At least three people took photos of it during the interval between the time that vapor trailed from the right engine until it was approaching the impact point. From those accounts and from those photographs, it was known that the right engine burned and fell off the wing about three miles before impact.

 

“The aircraft continued approximately three and one half miles upstream in a narrow canyon in powerless glide after the right engine fell off.

 

“The pilots evidently attempted to land in the river. During this maneuver, the aircraft hit a tree and nosed into the river. Upon impact, the aircraft broke up. All major sections were located and retrieved. Minor pieces had scattered along several miles of the river. A checkpoint was established downstream early in the recovery process so that no aircraft wreckage or victim passed that point. The river was reportedly at a high water stage….

 

“It was determined that the left engine failed (or was shut down) in flight, about 20 minutes after takeoff from the airport. Presumably this was the result of rising temperature of nose case components and lubricating oil and low oil pressure. The left propeller was apparently feathered immediately after the engine failed (or was shut down) in flight.

 

“The right engine “blew a jug” on cylinder number eight and burst into flame within perhaps 10 to 30 seconds from the time the left engine stopped. The right engine separated from the wing with an explosive sound within perhaps 10 to 30 seconds from the time it burst into flame.

 

“The time span from the failure of the left engine through impact was probably three to four minutes. The coincidence of the two engines failing within less than one minute of each other during flight was extraordinary with a probability of occurrence greater than one million to one.

 

“During the powerless glide, perhaps altering its glide path and flight attitude immediately before impact, the aircraft struck a tree with its left wing about 100 to 200 feet before impact into the river. Based upon survivors’ statements and the damage to the wreckage, it was estimated that the aircraft’s attitude upon impact was downward (perhaps 15 to 20 degrees) and the left wing was low (perhaps 15 to 20 degrees).

 

“The investigation team examined all aircraft maintenance records. They determined this aircraft had a 100-hour inspection on September 19, 1978. Inspection of the number one engine (left or port side) had been deferred since it was scheduled for replacement. On May 30, 1979, the “preseason inspection” was completed on the airframe and right engine only. The time on the number two engine (right or starboard side) was 1,069.6 hours at that time. The logbook stated that the left engine had been replaced that same day. Actual time on the left engine at the time of the mishap was 8.5 hours. Actual time on the right engine at the time of the mishap was 1,078 hours.

 

“The contractor who installed the left engine and nose case assembly stated that he was not shown any serviceable tags or certification for the engine when it was delivered to him for installation.

 

“The origin of the right engine is unknown. It was received for overhaul with a total time of approximately 8,000 hours. It was overhauled to zero hours on Feb. 6, 1973. It was installed on this aircraft at airframe time of 11,340 hours, 25 minutes.

 

“Engine teardown analysis concluded the following causes for the engines failures:

 

“Left engine:

Crankshaft to propeller shaft oil transfer pipe left out upon assembly of engine and nose case.

 

Overheating of oil and nose case gear as evidenced by discoloration of gears and metallic analysis.

 

Right engine:

Cylinder number eight parted at lower skirt in a pre-existing crack.

 

Both bronze and steel washers were found on the cylinder hold-down studs. Studs were broken and nuts were loose and missing.

 

Examination of the studs holding cylinder number eight in place showed four studs were broken and missing. One stud had a missing nut and two studs had loose nuts. All seven of the studs above were adjacent in the upper left quadrant of the flange, which holds the cylinder to the engine main case.

 

“In the metallurgical report that accompanied the teardown analysis, three studs holding cylinder number eight in place showed marks of fatigue failure to varying degrees and one yielded under tensile stress. The cylinder flange showed fatigue marks around one of the studs.

 

“Both emergency fluid shutoff valves had been pulled, which stopped fuel and oil flow from passing through the firewalls in the nacelles….” (FitzPatrick. United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service Fatal Aviation Accident History. 7-28-2004 modification, pp. 85-87.)

 

Newspaper

 

June 12, United Press International: “Grangeville, Idaho (UPI).  A Crippled DC-3 searching Monday for a flat spot to land in rugged north Idaho wilderness plunged into the swift-moving Selway River.  At least two of the 12 Forest Service employees aboard survived, including one man who hiked 10 miles to safety. The plane was carrying the employees on a 32-minute flight to a wilderness orientation school in Grangeville when one engine apparently burst into flames, then fell from the aircraft. It crashed into the river while the pilot was searching for a flat stretch of the river on which to set down.” (UPI, “Forest Service DC-3 Crashes After Losing Engine in Idaho,” June 12, 1979.)

 

Sources

 

Aviation Safety Network. Accident Description. US Forest Service, 11 June 1979. Accessed 7-22-2017 at: http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19790611-0

 

FitzPatrick, Candy S. Rock (Compiler). United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service Fatal Aviation Accident History. 7-28-2004 modification, 117 pages. Accessed 7-22-2017 at: https://www.fs.fed.us/fire/av_safety/assurance/mishaps/fatal_aviation_accident_history.pdf

 

United Press International. “Forest Service DC-3 Crashes After Losing Engine in Idaho,” June 12, 1979. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/freepdfviewer.aspx?img=7709153