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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 14, 1982)
Thursday, January 14, 1982 Cugana, Oregon Oregon daily emerald Volume 83 Number 78 Death toll at 70 Plane plunges into D. C. river WASHINGTON (AP) - A Florida-bound jetliner roared from a snowy takeoff and crashed into a Potomac River bridge Wednesday, smashing automobiles and plunging ben eath the icy water More than 70 people, including at least six motorists, were believed killed, but the count could not be ver ified. The Boeing 737, an Air Flor ida flight with at least 75 people aboard, was bound from Washington National Airport to Tampa and Ft. Lauderdale, Fla The crash of Flight 90 left only eight survivors among the pas sengers, police inspector James Shugart said It was the first fatal crash of an American commercial airliner in more than two years. Only nine bodies were recovered as of Wednesday night. Police Capt. Michael Canfield said at least six motorists were killed as the plane sheared the tops of cars and hit a truck. At least 16 survivors were ta ken to Washington hospitals, some suffering crash injuries, some the effects of the frigid river. Even as ambulances and res cue crews struggled through the snow — and the massive traffic jam it produced — to the bridge, three people were killed when a Washington subway car hurtled from its track near the Smithsonian Institution station As darkness — and tempera tures — fell, divers worked by floodlight in the ice-crusted river, searching for victims Within minutes after the crash, helicopters pulled sever al survivors from the river Pre sumably, most of the others aboard the plane perished under the ice. It was not known how many of the 16 known survivors were from the plane or vehicles struck upon the bridge, a multi lane artery with three spans connecting the city with subur ban Virginia. The craft hit the span nearest the airport, bear ing traffic, much of it from the Pentagon, headed into the city or neighboring Maryland from Virginia The snowstorm had closed the airport periodically during the day An AP photographer said he saw bodies strapped into air liner seats beneath the surface of the Potomac. The snow stopped shortly after the crash, but foul weather continued to impede rescue ef forts. The temperature hovered in the 20s as wind whipped the river One witness said one of the plane s wheels hit a truck on the bridge Jerome Lancaster, an Air Force sergeant who was in the traffic jam on the bridge at the time of the crash said “It looked like he lost his direction. The plane s wheel hit a truck. “I counted about six or seven who were alive, but they were messed up,” he said. "We threw a rope out to one passenger." Another witness, Terence Bell, said the nose of the plane broke away from the fuselage, plunged off the bridge and sank into the Potomac about 25 yards off the Virginia shore. The tail section also broke away, Bell said, and floated for about 20 minutes Bell said he saw five or six people emerge Continued on Page 2 Lane board notes UniversityH The University pumps more than learning into the community, the Lane County Board of Commissioners noted at a Wednesday meet ing While approving a state budget resolution aimed at legislators, the commissioners discussed including a reminder of the impor tance of the University to the local economy "Our largest employer is in danger of losing 9Vi million dollars," said commissioner Jerry Rust. "The University and higher education institutions are a resource in this state," said commmissioner Otto t'Hooft T Hooft said everyone may not agree with "all the various programs" offered by univer sities, but said the institutions do attract in dustry and contribute to the economy. In spite of Rust s suggestion to include mention of the University, the commissioners unanimously passed their statement without the addition, although they left the door open for a University-related resolution at a later meeting. The adopted resolution sympathizes with the "complex issues and lack of desirable alternatives” available to Gov. Vic Atlyeh and state legislators, while pointing out that local governments are being hit from both sides Both local and state revenues are slipping, the resolution says The statement also supports property tax relief as a “positive means” of reducing the tax burden on county residents. Several commis sioners said property tax relief is due for some revamping, but appeared to agree with t’Hooft’s comment that legislators must be careful about "tinkering” with property tax relief. State residents might rebel if revisions are "ill handled, ” he said. The resolution also supports retaining programs that encourage economic diversification and development within the state, and offers the commissioners’ help in working toward "mutually acceptable” solu tions to the budget crisis. \ ^Ari'IUoR Photo by Duane Schrag Signing out Campbell Hall. ___ "Z University Assembly asks Atiyeh to spare higher ed By Debbie Howlett Ofth* EmaraU A motion to send a statement to state legislators by the University Assembly put other motions on the back burner at Wednesday’s meeting. The statement, which received unanimous approval from about 100 or so assembly members, asks the Legislature as well as Gov. Vic Atiyeh to use alternative methods in meeting the expected financial shortfall for this fiscal year. "These are frustrating times. and rhetoric may not be the best course of action at this time, but we are limited in what we can do,” said Katherine Eaton, head of the bureau of government research library. Eaton described decreasing resources in the past decade and “substantially" decreased support for higher education in the past few years. "To lay the entire make-up of shortfall on public services is abominable,” said Eaton. Suggesting to reduce proper ty tax relief and basic school support while increasing tax revenues, Eaton admonished the assembly to “speak now and vigorously, lest our voices become a death rattle.” An effort on behalf of the Oregon Federation of Teachers to amend the statement was overriden. Thomas Brady, business manager of the physical plant, moved to amend the original statement by adding, "and be it resolved that this faculty has no confidence in Chancellor Roy Lieuallen or in the Oregon State Board of Higher Education." University Pres, and assembly chair, Paul Olum, said that as chair of the assembly, he felt the addition of the statement was not "germane" to the issue at hand In a vote on whether to sustain the chair, the assembly turned the motion back and voted decisively to support the chair. In other assembly business, assembly members voted unan imously, with very little discus sion, to implement a ''course cluster” requirement. Students who enroll at the University after summer term 1982 will be responsible to meet the requirement. An exception was made so that transfer students with more than 30 hours credit will not be respon sible to fulfill the group requir ements, but after fall of 1985, the requirement will apply to all students. The assembly also passed a motion that defines a satisfac tory performance in a class that results in a grade of “P” to mean a grade of C- or better. The attendance at the meet ing wich Olum termed "sparse, considering the matters at hand," thinned even more as 5 p.m. approached. The last motion on the agen da, an amendment to the student code of conduct, was voted on by only 41 assembly members. A vote of 28 yes and 13 no passed a motion intended to prevent students accused of "academic dishonesty” from dropping the class until the matter is resolved A motion was made to table discussion until more input was available from both faculty and students but that motion was soundly defeated.
