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wimvteltessy. ArkQn»o« Tim**, Frl., S*pt. 1§, 1981Damascus MissileDAMASCUS, Ark. lt;AP) -There’s little to remind you of that night a year ago, or the missiles squatting out there in the concrete caverns. Some debris, a huge hole, and a T-shirt or two. And 17 survivingsubterranean silos that the Air Force says are safe — too.In Central Arkansas, people are as nonchalant about Titan 2s as Southern Californian’s are about earthquakes. They don’t think much about them until times like Sept 19, I960, when the ground trembled with a roar That was the night the fuel in the missile at site 374-7 blew and spit a nuclear warhead — harmlessly — 200 feet into the darkness“They’ve become a part of my everyday life,’’ says Damascus Mayor Hoy Payne of the missiles. His grocery store adjoins the one-room city hall where a large American flag extends from a wall and two smaller ones stand beside the city government s only filing cabinetAmerica comes first in these parts and part of patriotism is the assumption of certain risks.“They’ve got to have them somewhere,” said Jerry Duncan, owner of one of Damascus' two gasoline stations. “I’d just as soon they shoot from here as somewhere else.”Still, the explosion that killed one airman and injured 21 others left scars:—A 250-foot wide debris strewn crater where a silo housed the 103 foot intercontinental ballistic missile. Atop the missile was a nine-megaton warhead capable of carrying a nuclear payload 1,000 times more powerful than the bomb which destroyed Hiroshima, Japan, at the end ofWorld War II.- At least three federal lawsuits — two filed by Air Force sergeants injured in the 3:01 a m explosion and one filed by the family of Sgt David Livingston, 22. of Heath, Ohio, who died from injuries suffered in the eruption Other lawsuits stem from a 1978 fuel leak at the Damascus silo—Some cynicism among people like Benny Mercer, the 40-year old mayor of nearby Guy who says the Air Force hasn’t leveled with people affected by the explosion: “I know now that the Air Force is not to be trusted I know that these missiles were put here to protect us But now I’ve decided who have we got to protect us against the Air Force?- Some bitterness for Sgt. Jeff Kennedy, the injured airman who won a medal and a reprimand for his work at the missile site: “For my time and trouble they gave me a letter of reprimand and . . . $390 a month” in retirement pay.—Some sadness for the 26-year-old Kennedy who hobbled 100 yards on a broken leg to radio for help for his dying friend, Livingston: “I wish we could go from the 18th to the 20th It’s something you want to forget. You don’t want to sit down and drink a beer over it. It’s just like it was a real, real bad nightmare.”—A question over whether property values have declined because of the silos. There’s little question for cattle rancher John Stacks whose two story hrick home borders the site where the 1978 gas leak occurred: “We tried to sell our house after it happened. No one even made us an offer.” Sylba Latham says she can’t sell a 220-acre dairy farm that lies 1'2 miles from the former silo far$190,000 because people thinkit’s contaminated Realtors Joyce Hall of Damascus and Janis Mack of nearby Greenbrier say property values have not declined.-Financial hardships for people like Mrs. Latham's son,Lyle, 34, who leased the farm from his parents In the two months after the explosion, Latham lost $3,600 because his cows produced less milk The day of the explosion two or threeheifers died, each worth at least $800 to $1,000. Five cows aborted within three weeks of the explosion, and 27 of 28 chickens died within hours of the eruption Latham sold his remaining cattle at a $30,000 loss because he couldn’t feed them. “He was forced out of business, and he lost everything, Mrs. Latham said. “We had to put a $40,000 mortgage on the farm. That’s just going to ruin us.”—Lingering illnesses for people like Mercer’s 37-year-old wife, Daisy, who said she breathed fumes that settled over Guy about two hours after the explosion. Anemia, headaches, fatigue, eye trouble, rashes, sinus problems and heart trouble have plagued her since the explosion, she said. The Center for Disease Control at Atlanta has issued a report saying it found no proof that such illnesses stemmed from the explosion.—Fears among people like Richard A. Hinkle, an arthritic country doctor who works from a wheelchair and who worries about long-term health effects of the noxious fumes that escaped the silo: “My feeling is that there’s probably more of a problem in this area than most people realized either then or now Nobody really knows all the ramifications. Nobody really knows how much more cancer it might cause or what the longterm effects are on the kidney and the liver.”For example, Hinkle believes Mrs Mercer has changed because of exposure to hydrazine, a volatile chemical that powers Titan 2 engines “Her demeanor is different in that she’s more hyperactive in her movements. She used to be a very stable person, and now little things seem to upset her a lot. Her powers of concentration are not as long.”Mattie Sims, an 86^year-old widow who can see the Titan 2 silo at Springhill as she rocks on her front porch, is unconcerned. “It’s never entered my mind to move away from here. When me and my husband moved here 32 years ago, we said the next move would be to the cemetery.“You can’t run from death. I got to die some way or another. If it’s with a missile, it might bequicker.The Rev. Tommy Hall, minister of the First Baptist Church in Damascus, says the silos don’t worry residents “maybe because most folks have lived with it so long and we hear so much about defense . . . maybe because I think our people are good Americans and good citizens and they realize that there are certain things that have to be.”Wylie Wilcox, 46, runs a grocery store about a mile from the Springhill silo. He said he would rather the silos be in another state. He said people welcomed the silos because they meant construction jobs “But now the work’s over, and we’ve got the silos in our backyards.1 ’ Sara Stage of Little Rock, staff person for the anti-nuclear Dogwood Alliance, said many people support the missile program because they believe the government line “that we need to protect ourselves with more and more weapons fromthe threat of aggression from the Soviet Union The Air Force was criticized last year for its secrecy and lack of cooperation with local officials before and after the explosion. For example, Air Force officials, under orders from the Defense Department, refused to confirm or deny the presence of a nuclear warhead.Grant AwardedA $146,000 grant from the National Science Foundation will allow the Department of Chemistry at the University of Arkansas to explore the manner by which catalysts promote chemical reactions. The three year project is under the direction of Dr George D. Blyholder, professor of chemistryThe Defense Department is reconsidering the no comment policy, but the head of Arkansas’ Titan system — Col. Ronald Bishop — won’t discuss warheads.Since the explosion, which drove about 1,400 people from their homes, the Air Force has worked with local officials to develop an evacuation plan.Sirens, which can be heard 14 miles away, are being installed at the silos. An automatic telephone system is to notify le in an emergency As a ackup, authorities would go door to-door to notify people.The blast, which occurred 84 hours after an eight-pound wrench socket dropped about 70 feet and ruptured the one-eighth-inch thick, 10,000 gallon fuel tank, taught the Air Force some lessons.Safety nets have been added to the nation’s 53 silos — 18 in Kansas, 18 in Arizona and those in Arkansas. Lightweight toolsnow have tethers.Bishop said the Strategic Air Command, which operates the Titan program, has completed 120 of 233 recommended improvements in the 19-year-old Titan system since the explosion. SAC is studying the other suggestionsNumerous oxidizer and fuel leaks have occurred at the silos since the explosion. Asked how many leaks have occurred in Arkansas during the past year, Bishop said, “I’d rather not tell you, to be honest.” He said none was serious.The explosion was the nation’s fourth major Titan accident.On Aug. 9,1965, 53 men died in a flash fire inside a missile near Searcy. On Jan. 27, 1978, an above-ground, 2,006-gallon fuel tank ruptured at the Damascus silo producing a toxic red cloud of nitrogen tetroxide gas. At least six people became ill. On Aug. 24, 1978, a fuel leak at the Rock, Kan., silo killed two men.Debris strewn crater-256 feet wide — is all that is left of theday.explodedOn October 1, First National Bank's Tax Free Alt Savers Certificate will enable the small saver, filing a joint return, to earn up to$2,000 in interest TAX FREE The individual can earn up to $1,000 TAX FR1 1 The First National All Savers Certificate is offered in minimum amounts of $500, with the Certificate maturing in one year. The advantages of First National's All Savers Certificate forfamilyWeto come by any of our full service branches or the main bank and get complete information.Roll OverWithout PenaltyIf you presently hold a First National Money Market certificate, or certain other time deposits, and it is to your advantage to place that money in an All Savers Certificate, you may do so WITHOUT PENALTY. 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Newspaper Details
Fayetteville Northwest Arkansas Times
Fayetteville, Arkansas, US
Fri, Sep 18, 1981
Page 16
Full Page
Clipped by
Arkansas S.
AR, USA 25 Feb 2020
Other Publications Near Fayetteville, Arkansas
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Fayetteville Northwest Arkansas Times
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