Southern Illinoisan (Newspaper) - June 9, 1969, Carbondale, Illinois PUBLICATION OFFICE 710 N Illinois Herrin N Murphysboro im Walnut Volume A Copy Southern Illinoisan lo Fro Herrin Journal Two Sections MONDAY JUNE 9 1170 LIBRARY MICROFILM LINDSAY SCHAUB BOX 789 ILLINOIS 62525 Arson probed in Old Main fire dismantling under way Landmarks remains smoulder on campus By John C Taylor Of Hie Southern I Carbondale firemen John Manis received slight burns back down before permitting additional students to enter Light smoke began to r i s e i when a sudden gust of flame SIU W slowly out of the rubble in Old licked at him atop Morris followed Carbondale Main about am today j hydraulic ladder truck Fire It was not considered danger man Don Jackson operating the eus and no fire trucks were calli ladder quickly moved Manis ed away But the smoke was wispy The only other reported injury minder of the billows of smoke I was David Max Moore a stu that rose above the reach of i dent from Bement who was hit firemen Sunday morning when a i by a falling piece of wood while raging inferno destroyed the i carrying items from the build landmark building on Southern j ing SIU Health Service Illinois Carbondale als said he was in good condi campus Willard C Hart of the campus architects office said a decision had been made to remove as gently as possible upper por tions of the building that still might fall When that task completed workers will go inside the remains to salvage air con desk or other equip ment The removal of the up per portions may take days Hart said State Fire Marsha John M Snyder was at the fire scene this morning Arson is suspect tion Sunday night with only a bruise and slight laceration Not Insured SIU officials estimated Sun Chancellor Robert W MacVicar and firemen into the smoke filled building to make decisions about removing equipment The first Carbondale firemen in the building Capt Charles McCaughan and fireman Frank Yates found and cus Bud Evans trying to fight the fire with an emergency fire hose That hose lost pressure as soon as Carbondale firemen made their hookups Fire Capt Elmer Rodgers said there was plenty of water in Leo Brown Carbondale ed Dr physician said this morning he will contribute w a re ward fund leading to the identify of the person who set the fire if arson is determined to bs the cause Brown is a form er SH board of trustees chair man At the request of the univer sity president workers also were to the third floor day night it would take more nearby water mains but sever than million to replace of the mains were relatively building and contents State small lines The Carbondale wa owned buildings are not insured Smoke was first seen out of the southwest attic gable about am Sunday by Bob Brewner SIU foreman Carbondale firemen called by SIU Security Police were on the etr department increased water pressure throughout the system to help fight the fire Rodgers decided at about am when it was evident that flames in the rifle range room had turned northward in the at tic toward the central tower to from neighboring scene almost immediately cal Brewner said They tried to get i towns to the fire from inside the build As word of the fire spread ing but flames quickly swept j thousands of spectators began through the attic beyond the to arrive to join the early scores reach of hoses j who saw the smoke boiling into Water first poured from the j the sky Carbondale Fire Departments i Shortly after 9 am the east ladder truck into the southeast I the historical building attic wing at am toppled in a blaze of fire onto a Firemen diug a hose fountain near tbe east the south entrance at aCTi Fire and smoke continued to to salvage some stone pili The fire apparently started in j upward as flames licked lars that hd flanked the en or near an attic rifle range j the s shingles 1 ranee to an auditorium in the j formerly used as part of the h e burning tresses ranee to an auditorium in the I formerly used as part of old structure Air Force ROTC Flames raced rapidly through Students from dormitories re tlis attic of the i to requests for help to building breaking i remove the buildings contents through the shingle roof to burn As the roof above them burn high above the reach of firemen j ed students entered the build from Carbondale and nearby ing repeatedly to remove files communities papers manuscripts portable The flames towered over the equipment and other items SIU building beyond the Security Officers permitted 30 range of hoses from the first j students on the third floor al a fire trucks at tbe scene I time making sure 30 had come Security patrols up Officials comb fire evidence Of The Southern Illinoisan By George Willhite Evidence of arson was found In three places in Old Main Sun day before the burning South ern Illinois University building through the ceiling to the third floor Third in a closet near the The roof and burning tresses collapsed about am onto the third floor This lowered the height of the blaze to where fire hoses from the five trucks then present could reach the flames About the same time ber cartridges in the rifle range area apparently began ing By two hours later firemen had brought the blaze under con trol Firemen and equipment from Marion Du Quoin Herrin Car terville Mt Vernon Christopher Hurst and De Soto helped fight the blaze A Murphysboro fire truck was called to stand by in Carbon date Fire Station No 2 Firemen had to haul gasoline in cans to refill the pumper trucks until a gasoline truck arrived at 2 pm Chief Operator Kenneth Mc Gowen of the Carbondale water said 700000 10 800 000 gallons of water was used in fighting the blaze Sun stairs leading to the third floor McGowen said pressure was firemen found a piece of maintained at 85 pounds and in a The i the supply was gaining all morn had to be evacuated wood was charred and walls ing in storage wells at the wat and ceding of the closet were er filter plant on South Wall scorched McCaughan said j street and the two storage tow The door was opened while j er tanks were looking for a Lack of pressure from too stairwell McCaughan said small water lines on the camp J tne i hampered firemen while the burned initially spread over the where t burned a handle enti f halfway up McCaughan said McGowen said there were Thats three places that had three hoses connected to be set Mc fire hydrant on a iine dale Fire Capt Charles Caughan told a hearing day night In addition firemen found on a third floor board an obscene which said in part Old Main is buning Carbondale Chancellor Robert MacVicar said regular security patrols would be supplemented by more patrols around build ings for the time being Carbondale Fire Chief 171 mont Crawshaw said this morn ing that the scrawled message was found by firemen during early stages of the fire perhaps before anyone besides firemen to be set McCaughan said Firemen had no estimate campus how long before they arrived There was good pressure from the various fires may have start a line fire hydrant at the corner of University ave McCaughan said that on venue Grand avenues constructing the fire points that I The hydraulic ladder of the someone could have set a fire in the attic come down the stabs and set a fire there to SIU custodians had entered try to prevent someone from th building reaching the attic If the class Firemen said they were fire had caught it would able lo reach the attic to kept firemen from reach what may have caused the fireing the stairs leading to the there but McCaughan and Capt attic he said and if the closet Elmer Rodgers told of these fire had caught it might have other fires firemen off the third floor First McCaughan said as he i We couldnt have got headed up the stairs from the j up there if all of them had third floor to the attic he good McCaughan said covered a fire under the first Rodgers said that if Carbon Carbondale truck was bent near the top when it hit a tree limb as truck was being moved step dale had a snorkel truck sim This was before the at tic fire had spread to other ilar to Mt It would parts of the building he said been of great benefit Second in a classroom near aj State Deputy Fire Marshal corridor leading to the attic John M Snyder of Virden ques and Rodgers witnesses about the color snid firemen found a smoke and odors but decided kct still hoi with burned burning roof and floors would ers n the basket and interfered with papers on a desk this tion of possible petroleum evi was before the fire had confidence Flames engulf tower of Southern Illinois Old Main Photo by Richard Carter Nixon decides to pare 25000 from US force Saigon okays troop withdrawal Midway CAP troops from his country with President Nixons first move al indications pointing lo to pare down the US troop further withdrawals commitment in Vietnam byi He called it good news for 25000 men as a start wasHie American people and followed Sunday night by strong affirmation ofj We will do our best from Washington Saigon on to alleviate the burden ty The came from President Nguyen i American delegation at Midway Van Thieu in i hoped the move would help remarks to newsmen following defuse criticism of Nixons Vietnam policy Doubtful of the American people harmony declaration j It seemed evident the his summit meeting with Nixon recommend that the United States begin to replace US combat forces with Vietnamese forces Midway on tiny Island Referring o advance speculation that there might be serious differences between the Cool United States and government over the Saigon ways and Demos But Sen Eugene McCarthy DMinn said he didnt see that this is any significant in dication of any program to try and resolve or end the war And Sen George S McGovern Generally fair and cool to night and Tuesday Low to night in mid 50s High Tues day in mid to upper 70s INSIDE Classified 1517 Comics TV Bridge Crossword 11 Editorials 4 Family Living Farm 5 Sporti 1112 means to promote the search DSD commented I cant for peace Thieu said where this represents any is not shift of American i emphasis This true We have a very close understanding on that I begin taking them all out and Following five hours of talks the faster better as far as I policy I think we ought to his announcement most of them with only one key adviser sitting beside each chief In his announcement Nixon i executive Nixon returned to said Honolulu for an overnight stay President Thieu informed and Thieu flew back that the progress f the Saigon training program and the Thieu expressed satisfaction j equipping program for Smith with decision t o forces had been sn withdraw 25000 A m e ri c a that he could now Inside todays paper For more on the Old Main fire want to see 2 Jim Bartons vivid account of the fire scene with pictures by Ed Greer 3 Stories by Allan Keith on the reaction of towns people and students to the fire 10 Old Main top ples pictures by Richard Carter 20 Pictures and a story on Old Mains history And on page 3 youll find an account of United Mine Workers President Tony Boyle to the area On page 13 our legislative bureau describes the trouble Gov tax program is encountering On page 9 is another in John Taylors school series with an analytical column by George Willhite As a consequence of the j peace talks and the level of recommendation by the dent and the assessment of our own commander in the field I decided to order tne im mediate redeployment from Vietnam of a division equivalent of approximately 25000 men This troop replacement will enemy activity White House sources had said earlier they believed a troop withdrawal made from a posi tion of strength would progress in Paris The two also begin within the next 30 days i to a declaration put and will be completed by m a statement at end of August the end of the conference that I will announce plans for presumably was designed to further replacement as help get the negotiations mov decisions are made ing In Washington Pentagon The two presidents confirm sources said the 25000 troops cd their convictions Kial the probably will get no closer form of government under home than Okinawa or Hawaii j which the people of South Viet From there they could be rush ed back to Vietnam if needed Some officers at the Pentagon were surprised that more Americans werent being pulled cut One source said there had been proposals to withdraw 50000 or more men The dent was being prudent he added Await Progress jiam will Jive should be decided themselves They declared for their part they will respect any decision by the people of South Vietnam that is arrived at through free elections At the same time thy reiterated their common resolve to reject any attempt to impose on the Republic of Vietnam any system or pro Nixon said decisions of future or any Particular withdrawals would hinge on the I lon readiness of Smith Vietnamese nf Vietnam forces in the Paris related picture on m
