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MIDDLESBORO, KY, THURSDAY, JULY 20, (967.■ * ' 1 “ -Equipment Marooned on Norris LakeCampers Discovered HowBeach Island Gets its NameNORRJS LAKE, Tenn.—Six Michigan families have been camping on an island in Norris Lake.You don’t think that's news? Well, here's the rub. It WASN’T an island when they started camping there.In fact, they drove to the area just west of the Highway 33 Bridge called Beach Island. The group had six vehicles, a bus equipped to cook and sleep in, two camper trucks, a motor* cycle, station wagon, one car and a boat.The families arrived here July 8 and drove to the camping area. A Tennessee Valley Authority official said today that the lake level started rising nn July 7 and 8.Access Road CoveredShut tly after, the families hud set up camp the road had be* come Impassable. Luckily Ihe group had one camper, the station wagon and car off the island when the water started going over the road. The boat was on the island.-Now the only access is covered by between Ihree and fourfeet of water. . ( . _The families have been coming to this area in Union County on vacation for several years. Lee Shepherd, the TV A spokesman, said the camping area is not a designated camping spotbut is open to the public. , .He. said the lake presently is at its highest level m nine years. During the first two weeks rif July the lake area received 10Vi inches of rain compared to a normal rainfall of five to six inches for the entire month.The water level was al 101 l.G on July 5. When the Michigan families went to Beach Island on July 8 the lake stage was about J014.6 and rising. On the night of July 8 it was 1015.1.The level Monday was 1018 and holding, Shepherd today said the level could go down, enough in the next wek to permit the vehicles to leave the island but this depends on rainfall. The campers were told by an official at Norris Dam that it could be four ol* five weeks before the water is down enough to leave.Meanwhile, the campers are making the most of their problem. Two families have relumed to'Michigan. Thy all live in Warren and Roseville.The campers are Ray and Pauline Cunningham; Estel and Gin Johnson; Patty Jones and her two children; Richard and Chloe Fisher and their three children; Phyllis Slaghl and her four children, and Barbara May and her two children. Mrs. May and Mrs. Slaghl and children have returned to Michigan.The others will return I his weekend since they have to report back to their jobs in Monday. Relatives in Middlcshoro and Claiborne County will stay or. the island day and night to protect the equipment until the lake goes down.Ride Around IslandEach day one of the campers rides the motoreyle around I he island to make surn the camp is safe. Mrs. Jones said they are alone on the island except for two dogs and a rabbi I.”They do have a. citizen's band radio and have been talking directly to the dam and with a nearby boat dock.The campers are taking their problem in stride. Askod if they were continuing wilh their vacation as planned with I ho exception oF being marooned, Mrs. Jones said, That’s about all we can do.BiInTlPhDuHARRCtwo gum Bank of The 33 Bureau t 1l was f weapon.An FJ said Ihei Ihe case (he phoi held ten No diLhe inveThe tv. the bank Clyde Dc
Newspaper Details
Middlesboro Daily News
Middlesboro, Kentucky, US
Thu, Jul 20, 1967
Page 7
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
USA 28 Jul 2020
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