Bennington Banner (Newspaper) - January 9, 1973, Bennington, Vermont Clouding and cold Increasing cloudiness today variable cloudiness through Wednesday High today new 20 low tonight 0 to 10 above High Wednesday round 20 Yesterday's high 8 11 today at 7 11 Sunset sunrise Teachers vote today If approved contract would end wrangling By JOHN LEANING Ml Anthony Union School District teachers were to vote late this afternoon on a contract proposal which if approved will than a year of prolonged confused frequently angry negotiations between teachers and the school board The Mt Anthony Union High School Board met in executive session before their regular meeting last night to approve the proposal most details of which have not yet been disclosed The school directors later ratified heir approval in open session This year's contract talks were conducted between teachers in the Southwest Vermont Education Association SVEA and a professional negotiator John Donohue of Poughkeepsie Donohue was hired on an hourly basis and his fee may go above Despite the presence of a professional negotiator little progress was made through November when teachers formally requested to go to Efforts at a third member of the team were ul and the hiring Bennington Vermont Tuesday January 9 1973 aimer Weekly founded 1841 Daily 1903 15 Cents To ease loans Rutland declared a disaster area Gun stilled The bullet riddled body of a sniper felled by gunfire from a helicopter Monday lies on the roof of the Howard Johnson Motor Lodge in New Orleans the scene of a bloody battle during which seven other persons were killed The stock of the man's rifle lies just beyond his head probably broken from its barrel by the gunfire At right is the bullet riddled blockhouse where the sniper or snipers held police at bay Police fail to find second sniper RUTLAND UPI Gov Thomas P Salmon has de- clared the city of Rutland a dis- aster area to open the way for state and federal aid in the wake of a fire that left five sons missing 25 others less and destroyed a landmark hotel and three other buildings Norman James ar aide to the governor said Monday Salmon's action clears the way tor ier approval of Small Business Administration loans James said state and federal aid would be based en the needs and requests made by the local authorities Authorities said they hope to be able today to begin probing debris of the blaze that leveled the Town House Hotel early Sunday Police feared the five missing persons may have been trapped in the hotel but added that if the bodies are in the rubble the chances of finding their remains are slim I don't give workers much of a chance of finding said Police Sgt William Murphy quite a pile of rubble The search for the five Fuller Jacqueline Albert Haughton No age was given for any of them In addition three persons re- mained hospitalized Monday at Vermont Medical Center In fair condition suffering from smoke inhalation were Doris Fuller 55 wife of Harold Fuller ward Loyzelle 57 and Charles Butier 69 The blaze left 25 persons homeless and caused heavy damage to three other buildings including part of the Rutland Herald newspaper complex Rutland Mayor William Foley said he was certain some persons had died in the fire but said he was concerned primarily with finding accommodations for the homeless survivors He met Monday with Human Services Secretary Daniel Holland Gpv Thomas P Salmon's special son in the relief effort and Red Cross officials to discuss an aid program I think the most important thing right now is the people and getting them some sort of short term and permanent said Foley Authorities said today they have begun placing the vors in homes and state and the Red Cross were coordinating efforts to gain funds The mayor asked that dis- aster loans be made available to the owners of the other ing destroyed by the fire which was described by authorities as the worst in 60 years in land Alderman Gilbert Godnick owner of the destroyed hotel attended the meeting and pledged to assist hi finding ternate living quarters for the homeless The survivors were residing at a Red Cross rescue office until other accommodations could be found ing persons was delayed by hirina NEW ORLEANS UPI It was a cold cloudy and windy there was a second sniper and have sniper flames sporadically Monday MA and and possibly a third sniper But none was found In the final assault five policemen were wounded either by ricocheting bullets fired by fellow officers or by chunks of concrete dislodged by gunfire Six hundred of the city's policemen surrounded or were in the hotel the siege After the rooftop was taken Manchester mum on consulting Mooney By CHARLES BONENTI Sgt Mooney reached today at MANCHESTER Selectmen the Shaftsbury barracks which he has commanded since 1969 Page 16 Col 1 roadblocks that had closed off a area of the city Police Superintendent ence said he believed directors surprised at only election Four members of the Mt Anthony Union High School board were surprised Monday night when they learned they would have to run for re-election to the board almost three months earlier than they had planned Board members Lawrence Moe Harrington of Woodford Dr Charles G Salem of Mrs Marion Smith of Shaftsbury and board chairman David Adler of Pownal all are up the board to postpone change this situation there has budget consideration until the not been any action regular meeting time in May Neither Harrington or Dr But Sleeman was informed by Salem were at Monday night s the attorney Eugene V board meeting so it is not known Clark that aU other business held during annual meeting must be conducted before the end of February to conform to the spirit of the law That other business includes election of school directors Unfortunately one for re-election this year ramification of the new law not mally they would have until May foreseen by the legislature is that to decide whether to run but a new board members cannot passed last year by the legislature has changed the timetable Under the new law union school districts must hold their annual meetings before the end of February The reason the law was pushed through was that many towns wanted to know how the school budget would affect their own budgets which are approved during March Town Meeting all across the state For many school districts however holding the annual meeting in February means real problems in determining next year's budget According to school officials a budget assume their duties until July 1 the date which existed under the old law While there is a pending in the legislature to whether they intend to seek re- election Mrs Smith said that she definitely would seek re-election for a three-year term from Shaftsbury and Adler hedged a little saying that I'll probably run Yes you can say that I haven't spoken to my wife yet and she'll probably kill me but you can say that There was one other person who upon learning of the new See SCHOOL BOARD Page 16 Col 2 including a black sniper and white policemen at least 20 others were wounded in the ensuing gunfire that lasted more than 24 hours police said Virginia couple on their second honeymoon and the hotel's assistant manager I've never seen anything so well said Russell Duke 42 field superintendent for the city Department of Safety Permits They terrorists had to have help from the inside to escape I think they could have worn one of the wounded in- clothes a jacket pulled off a fireman or a policeman who was treated and his clothes left atthe scene They could have walked out undetected this way There had to be at least two Duke said They talk about ricochets but ricochets don't shout back He referred to theories that ricocheting police bullets might Giarrusso divided his men into two platoons Monday night and ordered them to search every nook and cranny of the hotel ruins In a part of one still standing must be knocked down before the search can be- gin Koltonski added Firefighters used a crane Monday morning to knock down the front wall which faced Centre Street The wall which had been tottering Sunday was knocked down after power com- pany crews removed utility lines The missing residents were identified Monday as Joseph Tunnel Anna MeGuirt Harold here will meet in a closed session Wednesday night In Shaftsbury with Sgt Gordon Mooney of the Vermont State Police Contacted today Town Manager Oakley K Porter evidenced surprise that word of the unannounced meeting had leaked out He said trying to Una declined to comment when asked whether he had been offered a job as Manchester town police chief I think it would be better if Manchester Selectmen release any Mooney said Since Thompson's death selectmen have remained silent on plans they may have for his Woman 80 dies in Shaftsbury fire Missing ballots may be key in controversy By CHARLES Jr UPI A special Vermont Senate panel investigating a contested tenden County senatorial seat hopes to get more answers from a printing firm today than it a few days ago from voter SChOOl a lew prepared in February would be officials in the town of Essex than a guesstimate The officials refused to dis little more than a guesstimate of actual expenses A good example of the problem Is at Mt Anthony where contract talks for next year have not even begun yet salaries constitute the largest item in the budget To avoid possible problems by inaccurate budget preparation Supt George A Sleeman con- The officials refused to dis- cuss the apparent missing ballots in the controversial tion between Republican Sen Frederick Smith and ic former Sen Frederick ette Smith won a recount by 363 votes On the first day of the 1973 On the Inside Thoughts of Chairman Nixon on his birthday Page 2 District Court news Page 3 Hot meals program continues despite problems Page 3 AMI Anthony teacher who the present setup and a school director who does write letters Page 4 Manchester School Board plans early of its proposed budget Page 7 Dorset selectmen ponder use of revenue-sharing funds Page n Horses are back at Green Mountain Park but the mutuel windows aren't open yet Page 12 Pee Wee basketball games keep the younger set iz John Randolph writes of the threatened tradition of large in Vermont Page 13 session Fayette called on his former Senate colleagues to der a run-off to determine who should sit in the county's sixth seat despite the fact the ate had certified Smith to take his seat Voter officials told the member panel during the end they were advised by sel not to speak on the matter of the missing ballots because whatever they said could be used in future legal proceedings Chittenden County State's At- key to settling the controversy said Monday he had no tion of bringing prosecution on technical violations in the handling of the election Leahy said to do so would make scapegoats of people who tried to everything properly The panel chaired by Sen Richard Soule D Grand Isle counties has called a meeting today with Lester Roscoe of Printing House in Essex Junction the firm which printed the ballots used election lay last year Essex attorney Robert Perry said there remained a serious question whether ballots were ever in the hands of the town's voter officials SHAFTSBURY Firemen from three towns fought in weather Monday afternoon to contain a fire which claimed the life of Mrs Helen Pike on Depot Road North Shaftsbury Mrs Pike 80 apparently died of smoke inhalation and was pronounced dead on arrival at Putnam Memorial Hospital Although the cause of the fire has not been the speculation of Shaftsbury Fire Chief John Wood and State Police Cpl Glenn Hall is that it originated in the front room of the one-story structure Hall called to the scene yesterday afternoon began his preliminary investigation then and was on the scene again this morning to probe the ruins After about an hour of fighting the three fire units and 40 men contained the blaze which only partially destroyed the house Mrs Pike's family purchased the old North Shaftsbury depot some years ago moved it from its on ginal location and converted it into a home for Mrs Pike She lived alone MONTPELIER UPI Vermont has received its million revenue-sharing cheek from the federal government but will probably have to return it The check issued by the U.S Treasury was made out to Ths Honorable Deane C Davis governor of Vermont There is substantial reason to doubt that those ballots ever he said The printer has a history of curacy in counting and uting ballots Soule said he wanted Roscoe's side of the story Others on the committee are Republicans Fred Westphal of See BALLOTS Page IB Col 4 Davis however is no longer governor Joseph Jamele an aide to the new governor Thomas Salmon said the check is absolutely no good The U.S Treasury is ex- to stop payment on the check and Issue a new one made out to Salmon Mrs Pike's bo dy was located in the bathroom which sustained very little fire damage A wheelchair was found in the house although Mrs Pike who suffered from arthritis was apparently able to get about without the chair First call at about 20 minutes past noon went to the Arlington Fire Department which responded immediately and relayed the call to Shaftsbury Within minutes units from both departments were on the scene followed shortly by a tanker from the Bennington Rural Volunteer Fire Department Members and units of the North Bennington department Fatal Firemen from Arlington Shaftsbury and Bennington help chop into the roof of a house on Depot Road North Shaftsbury Monday afternoon where Mrs Helen Pike 80 of smoke inhalation Flames kept spouting out each crack in the slate roof Zero temperatures made difficult too develop plans for its police permanent replacement All of department handicapped since the deliberations con- the shooting death Dec 12 of the police department Police Chief Dana L Thompson have-been held behind closed and is consulting with other doors since the shooting Last enforcement agencies in the week however patrolmen from region to determine the degree of the Manchester force prodded protection the community needs the board to disclose its in- Porter had no comment on tentions for bringing the force speculation that Mooney may be back up to its former under consideration to succeed level Thompson as chief of police At that time Officer Frank Right now Manchester police Dupree who is the Officer Eugene Gaiotti is serving See MANCHESTER as acting police chief Pase 16 Col 5 went on standby for the fire force Wood said he believed the fire originated in the front or living room which contained a heated floor furnace Hall said he has no suspicions other than that the fire was and that it did apparently start in the living room Neither official would speculate whether the furnace was the source of the fire although this week's sub- zero temperatures have Imposed severe demands on heating systems everywhere Chief Wood described the Haze as not a particularly hot one but added that it was dously smoky Firemen had to remove a cupola a reminder of the history as a railroad depot to reach flames in the attic Wood reported no injuries to firemen and no problems because of yesterday's weather Fire units left the scene within about two hours and no standby was ordered Mrs Pike's body was taken to the hospital by the Bennington Rescue Squad Regional Medical Examiner Dr Arthur S Faris and State's Attorney Neil S Moss were notified Moss ordered the autopsy The body Gibney Haynes and Kane Funeral Home in Bennington In accordance with her written wishes no obituary information was made available There Page 16 Col 4
