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STATE HISTORICAL . OCIETY 1334 HITT & LOWHY ST. 4; LRV A kLA. COLUMBIA, MO. 65201 73rd Year - No. 216 Good Morning! It's Thursday, May 28, 1981 2 Sections - 16 pages - 25 Cents Jack Hagan and Monica Jennings check to see if Hagan is in his proper place in the Hearnes Commencements Hickman: Shape your lives B Warren Faunee Missourian staff writer Amid the pomp and circumstance of the event, the 1981 graduating class of Hick-manHigh School Wednesday heard com-mencement speaker William " Mack" Jones tell them their lives were like shapes ready to be molded. With thousands of friends and relatives watching over the graduates at the Heames Center, Jones, a professor e& Ejpglish at the University- tol- d the 515 graduating seniors they must shape their own lives. Jones said he has been trying to find a pattern from past graduates and has found that most people are the same in later life as they, were in high school. " The same people who cheated on their biology exam are the same ones who are rh; iq" g on their income tax today," Jones said. Robert Rogers Center before Hickman High School gradua-tion exercises. He said people who change little after 25 years are " periods" because they have re-mained in the same spot for so long, while people who are " circles" never have time to get everything done and always end up exactly where they started. " Triangles" are those who go through life with an up-turned nose and are content in feeling supe-rior to others. The ideal person is shaped like an open- ende- d " TJ" because their lives are not closed off . He said these people are free to mink, feel and live for themselves. Jones also said most graduates muddle through their lives saying " the world doesn't change much, and we can't do muchto change it, but we can affect the shape ofour lives." Jones told the graduates the best thing to do is to set sights on what they want and go after it, because the future is shaped out of the past In town today 7: 38 pjn. " Anything Goes," Maple- woo- d Bsm Community Theatre, Ni- fo- ng Park. Tickets axe $ 2 for adults and $ 1 for senior citizens, students and children. 8: 15 pm. Susan- Le- e Whalen, mezzo- sopran- o, Missouri Symphony Society, University' Fine Arts Recital HalL Tickets are $ 5 and $ 6. I Index Business.. 4B Classified 4-- 6B Opinion -.- ....-...... 4A Sparta --................ 1- 2- B Theater 8B I Weather... .2A Leon J. C Hsiao Rock Bridge High School graduate Lisa Long, left, receives a gift from a classmate. Rock Bridge told to shine By Karen Dickenson Missourian staff writer Bryan Snyder's grandfather and cousins drove 200 miles ( 320 kilometers) to see it, and his parents had bought him a pair of python- ski- n cowboy boots for it. Wednesday night, Bryan graduated from Rock Bridge Senior High School. Graduation ceremonies took place in the school gymnasium. As 220 seniors filed through to their seats, parents and friends in the audience fanned themselves with their programs as they strained to catch the first glimpse of the seniors they knew. The Rock Bridge Band, under the direc-tion of Richard Hadfield, played traditional processional music until the seniors were seated. Assistant Superintendent Harold Steere introduced Sen. John Danforth. In relating his advice to the seniors, Dan forth referred to the book ' ' Frannie and Zooey" by J. D. Salinger, which tells the story of a brother and sister who took part in a radio show. At the end of the book, said Danforth, Frannie and Zooey are told to shine their shoes before the show, " for the fat lady who is listening." Danforth related the " fat lady" to Jesus Christ and reminded seniors of their ' ' duty to give the best efforts to j serving the fat lady." I " So I charge you, the class of 1981 shine your shoes the fat lady is listening. ' ' Bryan glanced at his snake- skinn- ed boots - and smiled. Bryan, who owns 14 pairs of cowboy boots, is known as" Boots" to his Rock Bridge friends. ' ' I guess I won't be hearing that name much anymore," reflected Bry-an after the diplomas had been handed out and the ceremony had ended. " Except maybe at our 10- ye- ar class reunion." Reagan silences noise control office ByLyssvRoseuini e New York Times WASHINGTON They will make Charles EDrins move out of his office before long. They will take away bis 143- memb- er staff, bis subscription to Sound and Vibration mag-azine and the desk where he keeps his ear protectors. They already have begun revok-ing some of the federal regulations he worked to enact, including one that limits the noise of garbage trucks. - " We bad planned to regulate jackhammers as well," said Elkins, who directs the Envi-ronmental Protection Agency's noise pro-gram. " We just haven't gotten there yet" For five years, Elkins dreamed of a world where motorcycles and jackhammers would purr as quietly as kittens. But Reagan ad-ministration officials and some members of Congress have other ideas. As part of their cuts in federal spending, regulation and employment, they plan not only to revoke many of Elkins's antinoise regulations, but also to eliminate his $ 13 mil-lion office as welL " I don't find it pleasant, no," Elkins said in his office. Outside his door, a sign below his name read " Deputy Assistant Administrator for Noise Control Programs." Inside, the windows offered a panoramic view of Virgin-ia. On a wall hung a picture of Elkins with Richard Nixon at the White House. Insight " Do you mind if I record mis?" he asked, leaning over and setting a tape recorder on the table. It has taken Elkins 14 years of gov-ernment work to get this office and the $ 50,- 10- 0 annual salary that goes with it. He ex-plained that he did not want to risk being misquoted on something that might displease his superiors and cost him his job. " After all," he said nervously, " It's a new president." Then he sat down near the tape recorder and launched into the language peculiar to Washington bureaucrats, speaking rapidly of " regs," meaning regulations, that were " promulgated" in his years in government. Elkins said he came into the government in the Johnson administration in 1967, a time when it seemed that federal regulations could solve almost anything. He worked first in the Office of Management and Budget, then moved to the fledgling EPA. In 1972, Congress enacted the Noise Control Act, which required the agency to identify and regulate major sources of noise. A few years later, Elkins . was named head of the anti- nois- e office. And suddenly, noise became Charles El-kins's life. Street sounds of which he was pre viously unaware a passing motorcycle, a jackhammer biting into pavement now ir-ritated him. He studied the decibel levels of power lawnmowers, air conditioners and trucks. He wrestled with the tough questions. Was 84 decibels too loud for motorcycles? Was 80 decibels unrealistically soft? What do motor-cycle manufacturers think? - " Harley- Davidso- n didn't want to make one that sounded like a sewing machine," he re-called. After a while, Elkins took great satisfac-tion in helping promulgate crisp new anti- noi- se regs. Before long there were federal regulations limiting the noise of garbage trucks, motorcycles, railroad trains, semi- tractor- trail- ers and portable air compres-sors. And mat was just the start. " We were planning to move to other con-sumer items," he said, " lawnmowers, air- conditione- rs." Elkins said Ms staff also was studying bulldozers, vacuum cleaners and chain saws. But on Feb. 16, the Washington's Birthday holiday, Elkins' plans came to a halt At 2 p. m. he was called at home and told that the Reagan administration was going to abolish the program. " I must admit," he said, " the next three hours were among the most difficult of my life." The next morning Elkins called a meeting of his staff and told them the bad news, news similar to that being conveyed in many other agencies. The staff would be cut to 45 persons by Sept. 1. The budget would be cut from $ 13 million this year to $ 2.3 million in 1982. And the entire office would be shut by Oct. 1, 1982. " So now if people ask me what's happening with the program," he said, " I tell them the program is going out of business in 18 months. And that's the way I'm running things." These days, the week- at- a- glan- ce datebook propped on Elkins's desk is less crowded than it used to be. The people from the truck-ing companies do not drop around anymore. " I'm looking at some of my office ma-chines to see if I can get rid of them," he said. " I don't need two Xerox machines. I don't need many typewriters." How does he feel, seeing his program abo-lished? He paused, weighing his words carefully. He has not survived into a fifth administra-tion by talking to reporters about his feel-ings. Finally, he replied: " Yes, I have personal feelings on it But I'm not the president. I wasn't elected." Pilot error unverified in disaster JACKSONVILLE, Fla. ( UPI) Reports blaming pilot error for the crash of a Navy jet on the deck of the nuclear carrier Nimitz are premature, Cmdr. Jim Lois, spokes-man for the carrier Nimitz, said Wednesday. " That's ex-actly why we have investigative teams." The Prowler jet, used to jam enemy signals, missed its mark while attempting to land on the flight deck of the Ni-mitz Tuesday night and plowed into parked aircraft, ignit-ing a fireball that killed 14 servicemen and injured 48 oth-ers, according to Navy reports. " It was landing and impacted" on the rear part of the flight deck, Lois said. " It brushed up against some planes, skidded forward and hit the rest ( of the planes)." Damage was estimated at considerably more than $ 100 million. Four aircraft were destroyed, five more suffered serious damage and 11 others light damage in the fire that followed the crash. The 92,000- to- n ( 82,800- metri- c ton) Nimitz, carrying a crew of nearly 6,000 and with a capability of carrying 90 planes, was on a training mission 60 miles ( 96 kilometers) off the Florida coast east of Jacksonville when the crash occurred. Pilots were practicing nighttime takeoffs and landings at the time of the mishap. The Navy said none of the aircraft involved in the acci-dent was armed, but would not disclose whether nuclear weapons were aboard the Nimitz. Officials said it ap-peared that jet fuel ignited the blaze. Navy firemen fought the huge blaze for 70 minutes be-fore extinguishing it with a chemical foam. " This fire was substantial," said Cmdr. Ken Pease of the Atlantic Fleet headquarters in Norfolk, Va. " When we say substantial, it's a big fire." Thirteen other aircraft in the air when the crash oc-curred at 10: 51 p. m. CDT were unable to land and were di-verted to Charleston, S. C. The Nimitz and its sister carrier, the Eisenhower, are the largest fighting ships in the world. The crash is the worst accident ever suffered by a nuclear powered carrier and the worst on any aircraft carrier since 1963. Helicopters ferried 19 Navy doctors and medical aides from the Jacksonville Naval Hospital to the carrier and 21 of the most seriously injured were taken to Jacksonville hospitals for treatment. The Navy said the other 27 inju-ries were slight enough to be treated on board. A hospital spokesman said 10 of the injured were in " very serious" or " very critical" condition. Most suffered varying degrees of burns and broken limbs. Officials said at least four of the " most severely burned" crewmen would be flown to the Brooks Army Hospital outside San Antonio, Texas, which has a special bum unit. A helicopter crewman involved in the evacuation said he saw " just a mess of aircraft on the bow" where the plane dubbed " The Prowler" because of its radio jamming ca-pabilities crashed into several sophisticated fighters and helicopters. The Navy did not announce the crash until after dawn Wednesday. It did not immediately release a damage esti-mate. But damages were expected to easily top $ 100 mil-lion. There were three crewmen on the Prowler, which can hold a maximum of four. However, Lois did not know how many of them were among the dead or injured. The Navy withheld identification of the dead and injured pending notification of relatives. Capt. Sam Flynn of the Oceania Naval Air Station, Va., where many of the planes on the Nimitz are based said " the EA- 6- B has a very good, excellent record. And it did a great job for us in Vietnam." When asked about the plane being to the right of center line, Flynn, a veteran of 335 combat missions from aircraft carriers and 1,078 carrier landings, said " basically if you're within 15 feet ( 4.5 meters) of center line, there would be no degree of difficulty. ' ' " I think what happened is the guy had some degree of difficulty with lineup and hit the aircraft parked on the side," said Flynn. Flynn said the accident could have occurred for several reasons, including control problems, inability to determine horizon, " any mechanical problem; there may have been wind but that's unlikely." Pease said the Prowler was on an " an electronic warfare exercise" where it was " actively and passively assisting other aircraft operations by suppressing and degrading enemy defense systems through the jamming of enemy electronic signals." A spokesman in Washington said damage to the Nimitz was limited to the flight deck. Pease said he didn't know the extent of the damage, but added, " It's hard to burn a steel deck." " At no time was the ship ever in danger of sinking," said Pease. The Nimitz headed straight for its base in Norfolk, where it was expected to arrive sometime today. The Prowler and three F- 1- 4 Tomcats that were destroyed cost a total of $ 62.3 million when they were purchased in 1978 and 1979. The four A-- 7 light attack jets and one F- 1- 4 that were damaged severely cost a total of $ 43.3 million. Insurer drops body shop business ByDanHiggios and Lisa Hoffman MLssncrian staff writers Farmers Insurance Group decided Wednesday to stop "" Ming its business to Rolando's Body Shop, 1812 Dogwood Lane. The Columbia Missourian reported Wednesday that current and former employees said that overcharging cus-tomers and insurance mmppnjcg was common at Rolando's. They said the bogus estimates took these forms: inflation of repair bills by adding hours onto work orders for labor not actually performed; charging customers and at least one insurance comapny, Farmers In-surance Group, for parts not actually used in the repair of damaged auto-mobiles; and putting used parts in auto-mobiles but charging the customer or insurance company for new parts. On Tuesday, Columbia police, armed with search warrants, confiscated fi-nancial records at the shop. The owner, Jose Rolando Tobar, 39, of 301 Westridge Drive, told reporters Tuesday that he denies all the accusa-tions. But Richard Wells, Columbia district manager for Farmers Insurance Group, said Wednesday that after reading the Missourian stories he con-tacted Leonard Snavely, Farmers material damage claims supervisor for the eastern half of Missouri. Snave-ly agreed with Wells to discontinue business with Rolando's, Wells said. Current and former employees at Rolando's said Tobar often refused to show customers damage and repair es-timates and falsely told customers that J Farmers Insurance Group, in partic- uli- r, has a policy of not releasing esti-mates. " Rolando had a policy of not produc-ing the final, itemized bill next to the check from the insurance company for the customer to compare," said Ruth Lutz, Rolando's bookkeeper from Octo-ber 1979 until March 1980. The way it is supposed to work at Farmers Insurance Group, the cus-tomer receives a copy of the final esti-mate when he receives the check for any repair work done on his car. Wells said the computer printout is supposed to itemize each part and list the final costs. But at least three customers of the insurance company found that it does not always work that way. Mary Manning, a Columbia College student, wrecked her Pacer in Decem-ber 1980. She said she never received a copy of the final estimate, although she said she received the insurance check from Tobar. Roxann Durham, a University stu-dent, said she never asked nor was she given a copy of the estimate from Ro-lando's. She said she took her car in in Jan-uary after hitting a deer and damaging the front end. She said when she went to pick up the car, Tobar presented her with the insurance company check but no estimate. Lynndel Spurgeon, 26, of Route 9, said Tobar refused several times to show him a repair estimate of damage to his 1975 Lincoln Continental. Even after Frank Mills, the Farmers Insurance Group claims adjuster, looked at his car, his request to see an estimate was denied, he said. Spurgeon, himself an auto mechanic, said he considered it " very weird" that pggeS. INVESTIGATION: c5l3iP SHOP he was not allowed to see an estimate. " Everybody I've ever dealt with in the repair business uses estimates," Spurgeon said. Tobar said Tuesday, " I've never re-fused ( to allow) a customer to see an estimate. Wells said under normal procedures the final estimate should be mailed di-rectly to the customer along with the insurance check. He said it is the responsibility of the company claims adjuster to see that this procedure is followed.
Object Description
Title | Columbia Missourian Newspaper 1981-05-28 |
Description | Vol. 73rd Year, No. 216 |
Subject |
Columbia (Mo.) -- Newspapers Boone County (Mo.) -- Newspapers |
Coverage | United States -- Missouri -- Boone County -- Columbia |
Language | English |
Date.Search | 1981-05-28 |
Type | Newspapers |
Format | |
Collection Name | Columbia Missourian Newspaper Collection |
Publisher.Digital | University of Missouri Library Systems |
Rights | These pages may be freely searched and displayed. Permission must be received for distribution or publication. |
Contributing Institution |
State Historical Society of Missouri University of Missouri--Columbia. School of Journalism |
Copy Request | Contact the State Historical Society of Missouri at: (800) 747-6366 or (573) 882-7083 or email contact@shsmo.org. Some fees apply:http://shsmo.org/research/researchfees |
County |
Boone County (Mo.) |
Description
Title | Full Page |
Date.Search | 1981-05-28 |
Type | page |
Item.Transcript | STATE HISTORICAL . OCIETY 1334 HITT & LOWHY ST. 4; LRV A kLA. COLUMBIA, MO. 65201 73rd Year - No. 216 Good Morning! It's Thursday, May 28, 1981 2 Sections - 16 pages - 25 Cents Jack Hagan and Monica Jennings check to see if Hagan is in his proper place in the Hearnes Commencements Hickman: Shape your lives B Warren Faunee Missourian staff writer Amid the pomp and circumstance of the event, the 1981 graduating class of Hick-manHigh School Wednesday heard com-mencement speaker William " Mack" Jones tell them their lives were like shapes ready to be molded. With thousands of friends and relatives watching over the graduates at the Heames Center, Jones, a professor e& Ejpglish at the University- tol- d the 515 graduating seniors they must shape their own lives. Jones said he has been trying to find a pattern from past graduates and has found that most people are the same in later life as they, were in high school. " The same people who cheated on their biology exam are the same ones who are rh; iq" g on their income tax today," Jones said. Robert Rogers Center before Hickman High School gradua-tion exercises. He said people who change little after 25 years are " periods" because they have re-mained in the same spot for so long, while people who are " circles" never have time to get everything done and always end up exactly where they started. " Triangles" are those who go through life with an up-turned nose and are content in feeling supe-rior to others. The ideal person is shaped like an open- ende- d " TJ" because their lives are not closed off . He said these people are free to mink, feel and live for themselves. Jones also said most graduates muddle through their lives saying " the world doesn't change much, and we can't do muchto change it, but we can affect the shape ofour lives." Jones told the graduates the best thing to do is to set sights on what they want and go after it, because the future is shaped out of the past In town today 7: 38 pjn. " Anything Goes," Maple- woo- d Bsm Community Theatre, Ni- fo- ng Park. Tickets axe $ 2 for adults and $ 1 for senior citizens, students and children. 8: 15 pm. Susan- Le- e Whalen, mezzo- sopran- o, Missouri Symphony Society, University' Fine Arts Recital HalL Tickets are $ 5 and $ 6. I Index Business.. 4B Classified 4-- 6B Opinion -.- ....-...... 4A Sparta --................ 1- 2- B Theater 8B I Weather... .2A Leon J. C Hsiao Rock Bridge High School graduate Lisa Long, left, receives a gift from a classmate. Rock Bridge told to shine By Karen Dickenson Missourian staff writer Bryan Snyder's grandfather and cousins drove 200 miles ( 320 kilometers) to see it, and his parents had bought him a pair of python- ski- n cowboy boots for it. Wednesday night, Bryan graduated from Rock Bridge Senior High School. Graduation ceremonies took place in the school gymnasium. As 220 seniors filed through to their seats, parents and friends in the audience fanned themselves with their programs as they strained to catch the first glimpse of the seniors they knew. The Rock Bridge Band, under the direc-tion of Richard Hadfield, played traditional processional music until the seniors were seated. Assistant Superintendent Harold Steere introduced Sen. John Danforth. In relating his advice to the seniors, Dan forth referred to the book ' ' Frannie and Zooey" by J. D. Salinger, which tells the story of a brother and sister who took part in a radio show. At the end of the book, said Danforth, Frannie and Zooey are told to shine their shoes before the show, " for the fat lady who is listening." Danforth related the " fat lady" to Jesus Christ and reminded seniors of their ' ' duty to give the best efforts to j serving the fat lady." I " So I charge you, the class of 1981 shine your shoes the fat lady is listening. ' ' Bryan glanced at his snake- skinn- ed boots - and smiled. Bryan, who owns 14 pairs of cowboy boots, is known as" Boots" to his Rock Bridge friends. ' ' I guess I won't be hearing that name much anymore," reflected Bry-an after the diplomas had been handed out and the ceremony had ended. " Except maybe at our 10- ye- ar class reunion." Reagan silences noise control office ByLyssvRoseuini e New York Times WASHINGTON They will make Charles EDrins move out of his office before long. They will take away bis 143- memb- er staff, bis subscription to Sound and Vibration mag-azine and the desk where he keeps his ear protectors. They already have begun revok-ing some of the federal regulations he worked to enact, including one that limits the noise of garbage trucks. - " We bad planned to regulate jackhammers as well," said Elkins, who directs the Envi-ronmental Protection Agency's noise pro-gram. " We just haven't gotten there yet" For five years, Elkins dreamed of a world where motorcycles and jackhammers would purr as quietly as kittens. But Reagan ad-ministration officials and some members of Congress have other ideas. As part of their cuts in federal spending, regulation and employment, they plan not only to revoke many of Elkins's antinoise regulations, but also to eliminate his $ 13 mil-lion office as welL " I don't find it pleasant, no," Elkins said in his office. Outside his door, a sign below his name read " Deputy Assistant Administrator for Noise Control Programs." Inside, the windows offered a panoramic view of Virgin-ia. On a wall hung a picture of Elkins with Richard Nixon at the White House. Insight " Do you mind if I record mis?" he asked, leaning over and setting a tape recorder on the table. It has taken Elkins 14 years of gov-ernment work to get this office and the $ 50,- 10- 0 annual salary that goes with it. He ex-plained that he did not want to risk being misquoted on something that might displease his superiors and cost him his job. " After all," he said nervously, " It's a new president." Then he sat down near the tape recorder and launched into the language peculiar to Washington bureaucrats, speaking rapidly of " regs," meaning regulations, that were " promulgated" in his years in government. Elkins said he came into the government in the Johnson administration in 1967, a time when it seemed that federal regulations could solve almost anything. He worked first in the Office of Management and Budget, then moved to the fledgling EPA. In 1972, Congress enacted the Noise Control Act, which required the agency to identify and regulate major sources of noise. A few years later, Elkins . was named head of the anti- nois- e office. And suddenly, noise became Charles El-kins's life. Street sounds of which he was pre viously unaware a passing motorcycle, a jackhammer biting into pavement now ir-ritated him. He studied the decibel levels of power lawnmowers, air conditioners and trucks. He wrestled with the tough questions. Was 84 decibels too loud for motorcycles? Was 80 decibels unrealistically soft? What do motor-cycle manufacturers think? - " Harley- Davidso- n didn't want to make one that sounded like a sewing machine," he re-called. After a while, Elkins took great satisfac-tion in helping promulgate crisp new anti- noi- se regs. Before long there were federal regulations limiting the noise of garbage trucks, motorcycles, railroad trains, semi- tractor- trail- ers and portable air compres-sors. And mat was just the start. " We were planning to move to other con-sumer items," he said, " lawnmowers, air- conditione- rs." Elkins said Ms staff also was studying bulldozers, vacuum cleaners and chain saws. But on Feb. 16, the Washington's Birthday holiday, Elkins' plans came to a halt At 2 p. m. he was called at home and told that the Reagan administration was going to abolish the program. " I must admit," he said, " the next three hours were among the most difficult of my life." The next morning Elkins called a meeting of his staff and told them the bad news, news similar to that being conveyed in many other agencies. The staff would be cut to 45 persons by Sept. 1. The budget would be cut from $ 13 million this year to $ 2.3 million in 1982. And the entire office would be shut by Oct. 1, 1982. " So now if people ask me what's happening with the program," he said, " I tell them the program is going out of business in 18 months. And that's the way I'm running things." These days, the week- at- a- glan- ce datebook propped on Elkins's desk is less crowded than it used to be. The people from the truck-ing companies do not drop around anymore. " I'm looking at some of my office ma-chines to see if I can get rid of them," he said. " I don't need two Xerox machines. I don't need many typewriters." How does he feel, seeing his program abo-lished? He paused, weighing his words carefully. He has not survived into a fifth administra-tion by talking to reporters about his feel-ings. Finally, he replied: " Yes, I have personal feelings on it But I'm not the president. I wasn't elected." Pilot error unverified in disaster JACKSONVILLE, Fla. ( UPI) Reports blaming pilot error for the crash of a Navy jet on the deck of the nuclear carrier Nimitz are premature, Cmdr. Jim Lois, spokes-man for the carrier Nimitz, said Wednesday. " That's ex-actly why we have investigative teams." The Prowler jet, used to jam enemy signals, missed its mark while attempting to land on the flight deck of the Ni-mitz Tuesday night and plowed into parked aircraft, ignit-ing a fireball that killed 14 servicemen and injured 48 oth-ers, according to Navy reports. " It was landing and impacted" on the rear part of the flight deck, Lois said. " It brushed up against some planes, skidded forward and hit the rest ( of the planes)." Damage was estimated at considerably more than $ 100 million. Four aircraft were destroyed, five more suffered serious damage and 11 others light damage in the fire that followed the crash. The 92,000- to- n ( 82,800- metri- c ton) Nimitz, carrying a crew of nearly 6,000 and with a capability of carrying 90 planes, was on a training mission 60 miles ( 96 kilometers) off the Florida coast east of Jacksonville when the crash occurred. Pilots were practicing nighttime takeoffs and landings at the time of the mishap. The Navy said none of the aircraft involved in the acci-dent was armed, but would not disclose whether nuclear weapons were aboard the Nimitz. Officials said it ap-peared that jet fuel ignited the blaze. Navy firemen fought the huge blaze for 70 minutes be-fore extinguishing it with a chemical foam. " This fire was substantial," said Cmdr. Ken Pease of the Atlantic Fleet headquarters in Norfolk, Va. " When we say substantial, it's a big fire." Thirteen other aircraft in the air when the crash oc-curred at 10: 51 p. m. CDT were unable to land and were di-verted to Charleston, S. C. The Nimitz and its sister carrier, the Eisenhower, are the largest fighting ships in the world. The crash is the worst accident ever suffered by a nuclear powered carrier and the worst on any aircraft carrier since 1963. Helicopters ferried 19 Navy doctors and medical aides from the Jacksonville Naval Hospital to the carrier and 21 of the most seriously injured were taken to Jacksonville hospitals for treatment. The Navy said the other 27 inju-ries were slight enough to be treated on board. A hospital spokesman said 10 of the injured were in " very serious" or " very critical" condition. Most suffered varying degrees of burns and broken limbs. Officials said at least four of the " most severely burned" crewmen would be flown to the Brooks Army Hospital outside San Antonio, Texas, which has a special bum unit. A helicopter crewman involved in the evacuation said he saw " just a mess of aircraft on the bow" where the plane dubbed " The Prowler" because of its radio jamming ca-pabilities crashed into several sophisticated fighters and helicopters. The Navy did not announce the crash until after dawn Wednesday. It did not immediately release a damage esti-mate. But damages were expected to easily top $ 100 mil-lion. There were three crewmen on the Prowler, which can hold a maximum of four. However, Lois did not know how many of them were among the dead or injured. The Navy withheld identification of the dead and injured pending notification of relatives. Capt. Sam Flynn of the Oceania Naval Air Station, Va., where many of the planes on the Nimitz are based said " the EA- 6- B has a very good, excellent record. And it did a great job for us in Vietnam." When asked about the plane being to the right of center line, Flynn, a veteran of 335 combat missions from aircraft carriers and 1,078 carrier landings, said " basically if you're within 15 feet ( 4.5 meters) of center line, there would be no degree of difficulty. ' ' " I think what happened is the guy had some degree of difficulty with lineup and hit the aircraft parked on the side," said Flynn. Flynn said the accident could have occurred for several reasons, including control problems, inability to determine horizon, " any mechanical problem; there may have been wind but that's unlikely." Pease said the Prowler was on an " an electronic warfare exercise" where it was " actively and passively assisting other aircraft operations by suppressing and degrading enemy defense systems through the jamming of enemy electronic signals." A spokesman in Washington said damage to the Nimitz was limited to the flight deck. Pease said he didn't know the extent of the damage, but added, " It's hard to burn a steel deck." " At no time was the ship ever in danger of sinking," said Pease. The Nimitz headed straight for its base in Norfolk, where it was expected to arrive sometime today. The Prowler and three F- 1- 4 Tomcats that were destroyed cost a total of $ 62.3 million when they were purchased in 1978 and 1979. The four A-- 7 light attack jets and one F- 1- 4 that were damaged severely cost a total of $ 43.3 million. Insurer drops body shop business ByDanHiggios and Lisa Hoffman MLssncrian staff writers Farmers Insurance Group decided Wednesday to stop "" Ming its business to Rolando's Body Shop, 1812 Dogwood Lane. The Columbia Missourian reported Wednesday that current and former employees said that overcharging cus-tomers and insurance mmppnjcg was common at Rolando's. They said the bogus estimates took these forms: inflation of repair bills by adding hours onto work orders for labor not actually performed; charging customers and at least one insurance comapny, Farmers In-surance Group, for parts not actually used in the repair of damaged auto-mobiles; and putting used parts in auto-mobiles but charging the customer or insurance company for new parts. On Tuesday, Columbia police, armed with search warrants, confiscated fi-nancial records at the shop. The owner, Jose Rolando Tobar, 39, of 301 Westridge Drive, told reporters Tuesday that he denies all the accusa-tions. But Richard Wells, Columbia district manager for Farmers Insurance Group, said Wednesday that after reading the Missourian stories he con-tacted Leonard Snavely, Farmers material damage claims supervisor for the eastern half of Missouri. Snave-ly agreed with Wells to discontinue business with Rolando's, Wells said. Current and former employees at Rolando's said Tobar often refused to show customers damage and repair es-timates and falsely told customers that J Farmers Insurance Group, in partic- uli- r, has a policy of not releasing esti-mates. " Rolando had a policy of not produc-ing the final, itemized bill next to the check from the insurance company for the customer to compare," said Ruth Lutz, Rolando's bookkeeper from Octo-ber 1979 until March 1980. The way it is supposed to work at Farmers Insurance Group, the cus-tomer receives a copy of the final esti-mate when he receives the check for any repair work done on his car. Wells said the computer printout is supposed to itemize each part and list the final costs. But at least three customers of the insurance company found that it does not always work that way. Mary Manning, a Columbia College student, wrecked her Pacer in Decem-ber 1980. She said she never received a copy of the final estimate, although she said she received the insurance check from Tobar. Roxann Durham, a University stu-dent, said she never asked nor was she given a copy of the estimate from Ro-lando's. She said she took her car in in Jan-uary after hitting a deer and damaging the front end. She said when she went to pick up the car, Tobar presented her with the insurance company check but no estimate. Lynndel Spurgeon, 26, of Route 9, said Tobar refused several times to show him a repair estimate of damage to his 1975 Lincoln Continental. Even after Frank Mills, the Farmers Insurance Group claims adjuster, looked at his car, his request to see an estimate was denied, he said. Spurgeon, himself an auto mechanic, said he considered it " very weird" that pggeS. INVESTIGATION: c5l3iP SHOP he was not allowed to see an estimate. " Everybody I've ever dealt with in the repair business uses estimates," Spurgeon said. Tobar said Tuesday, " I've never re-fused ( to allow) a customer to see an estimate. Wells said under normal procedures the final estimate should be mailed di-rectly to the customer along with the insurance check. He said it is the responsibility of the company claims adjuster to see that this procedure is followed. |