Experts to Rebuild Wichita Jet's Rubble
WICHITA—(UPI)—A hunk of engine and two burned wheels were recognizable. Most of the other pieces of wreckage could be held in one hand.
With nothing more than rubble to work from, Air Force investigators today began reconstructing a KC135 jet tanker that could not have been shattered more thoroughly had it been hit squarely by an anti-aircraft missile.
The plane took off from McConnell Air Force Base Saturday and three minutes later crashed into a quiet neighborhood of frame houses, killing all seven of its crewmen, and 22 civilians, one of whom was a woman carrying an unborn child.
AIR FORCE SECRETARY Eugene M. Zuckert immediately ordered the investigation and the blue-ribbon crew went to work within hours of the crash.
Every piece of wreckage that searchers found was taken to a hangar at McConnell Air Force Base where the experts will try to re-assemble at least a reasonable facsimile of the plane.
Lt. Gen. David Wade, Commander of the Second Air Force, was named director of the investigation. The board elected Brig. Gen. Murray A. Bywater, Commander of the 825th Strategic Aerospace Division at Little Rock Air Force Base, as its president.
"Our job will be to re-create the sequence of events leading up to the moment of impact and to examine every piece of wreckage that might have contributed to the accident's cause." Bywater said.
Bywater said yesterday the crew might have realized it was going to crash seconds before the impact. Wade said it was possible to speculate on the cause of the crash but "the investigation is still not far enough along to do more than that."
Among the experts was Brig. Gen, J. T. Robbins, who heads a four-man team of specialists from Norton AFB, Calif. Others came from Clinton-Sherman and Tinker Air Force Bases in Oklahoma, Offutt AFB in Omaha, Neb., Barksdale AFB, La., Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, and James Connally and Kelly AFB, Tex.
Bywater said it would take up to three weeks to re-construct the aircraft.
"WE WILL LOOK AT every shred of evidence available and listen to every witness we can find. I also have carte blanche authority to request the services of any Air Force, government or industry accident experts not already on our board, if necessary," Bywater said.
First phases of the investigation indicated there was no fire or explosion in the aircraft prior to the crash.
SOME WITNESSES REPORTED seeing smoke coming from the tanker as it screamed along at low level before crashing. But that could have been fuel the plane started dumping over Wichita State University, a mile away from the crash site.
The plane had about 80 tons of the kerosene-base mixture aboard for a refueling test mission with a B52 from the nearby Boeing Aircraft plant.
The KC-135 was regularly based at Clinton-Sherman AFB in Oklahoma but had been at McConnell temporarily for test runs with the B52. It was scheduled to return to its home base after the exercise.
62nd Year, No. 70
State Finance Solvency Tops Avery Priorities
Daily hansan
LAWRENCE, KANSAS
Second on the list of priorities, the governor said, should be improving the program of assistance to local elementary and secondary schools through the foundation finance plan
"The enactment of a foundation finance program and the financing of (it) together with the financing of other expenditures of state government are the matters of utmost urgency in this session of the legislature," Avery said.
He announced he would propose a first-year spending level for the program in his budget message and would make recommendations on measures necessary to finance it.
AVERY POINTED up economic and social changes that have occurred since he was a member of the Kansas House in 1951, and said the rural-to-urban shift was especially responsible for compounding fiscal problems.
TOPEKA — (UPI)— Gov. William H. Avery today ordered financial solvency restored to state government before Kansas embarks on "many new or expanded programs."
THOUGH OBVIOUSLY concerned about the state's money problems, Avery asked the 165 legislators to view his proposals as "opportunities for progress rather than . . . a crash solution to the state problems."
He said the advalorem tax can no longer be considered a catch-all to support all of the local tax revenue.
The new governor left little doubt that the grander, long-range schemes would have to wait until that was done.
Monday, Jan. 18, 1965
The governor told the legislators
"We must first set our financial house in order," Avery told a joint session of Kansas lawmakers in the traditional legislative message.
He stressed that the plan of action would be hinged on sources of revenue other than property tax, but deferred details until his budget message, expected in about one week.
After 'Blackout'
Cagers Face TV Tip-off
KU will tip off in front of television cameras at 1:30 p.m. Saturday in the first game to be televised from Allen Field House since 1958.
KU's last appearance on television came on an NCAA-sponsored broadcast. Since then the NCAA ceased to promote basketball broadcasts and has left it up to individual conferences.
The afternoon meeting between the Jayhawks and the Iowa State Cyclones has been designated "Jayhawk TV Tip-off Day" by Bob Stewart, Vancouver, B.C. senior and student body president.
THE KU-IOWA STATE contest will be the second Jayhawk game to be televised this week. The sellout KU-Kansas State basketball game at Manhattan will be shown at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday on WIBW-TV, Topeka.
Wayne Duke, director of the Big Eight Conference, has been instrumental in reviving televised basketball from the Big Eight schools.
Each school in the conference will appear at least twice in a Saturday afternoon "Game of the week."
"We urge KU students to use this day to relax before finals," Stewart said.
The telecast of Saturday afternoon's game originating from WIBW-TV will be shown from the east side of the field house to the west. TV cameras will be trained on the court and the KU student section.
The weather bureau predicted today it would be fair and somewhat colder through Tuesday. Winds will be northwesterly five to fifteen miles per hour diminishing tonight. The low temperature tonight will be around 20 degrees.
HALFTIME CEREMONIES, under the direction of the University Relations Office, will feature interviews with Chancellor W. Clarke Wescoe, George Barisas, Kansas City, Mo., senior and recent Rhodes Scholarship winner,
Presentation of KU ID's will admit students to this Big Eight "Game of the Week" to be televised over a six-state regional network. Announcing will be Monte Moore of KCMO-TV, Kansas City, Mo., and Dev Nelson, WIBW-TV, Topeka.
Monte Johnson, assistant director of athletics, said he hoped the student section would be filled for the television broadcast.
Weather
and Ron Oelschlager, Marion senior and winner of an NCAA scholarship.
Other students involved in planning Tip-off Day activities are Mike Lemoine, Leawood senior and chairman of the Traditions Committee, T.J. Snyder, Independence senior and chairman of the Athletic Seating board; Sandra Fike, St. Louis, Mo., junior and chairman of the All Student Council public relations committee; and Bob Woody, Bartlesville, Okla., junior and chairman of the Student Union Activities public relations committee.
Leaflets promoting "TV tip-off Day" will be distributed on campus this week, Russ Cummings, Topeka graduate student, said.
LEMONE SAID the heads of KU's three pep clubs, Jay Janes, KU KU's and Frosh Hawks, will be asked to publicize the game within their organizations.
Templin Men's Residence Hall is also making special plans for the game, Cummings said.
Cummings said between 150 and 200 Templin residents are expected to attend the game to support the Jayhawks. The "gang" will change from white to blue shirts, however, because blue photographs with less glare on television.
But he mentioned the failure to raise the level of tax sufficiently to support "future growth," boosting salaries of civil service employees in 1964, and the delaying of tax distribution to local agencies of government in order to finance the 1965 budget.
"Reports to your legislative budget committee have pointed out that in almost every year in recent times," Avery said, "the percentage increase in expenditures has exceeded the percentage in revenue."
State Board of Social Welfare for a one-mill increase to more nearly equalize county and state sharing of welfare costs.
"AT A TIME when we have financial problems of this magnitude, it would not be wise for us to embark on many new or expanded programs," the governor said.
Despite increased fee support for higher education, Avery said, substantial increases in the amounts of tax support for these institutions will be necessary.
"I would point out that any such increase . . . would be more than offset by the increased state contribution for financing the cost of public education," he said.
"Although the increased costs are somewhat staggering, it must be remembered that our college population is expanding rapidly," he said.
In the area of mental health, Avery recommended that one-third of the charitable institutions levy be made available to local units of government for the construction of mental health facilities.
However, the governor retained until his budget message his views on a request for additional state finance by Washburn University of Topeka.
AVERY INDICATED he was opposed to another request by the
Avery skirted the heated controversy on whether the state Judicial Act should be revised. He called only for "study and careful consideration for a comprehensive appraisal."
He also urged that the maximum levy for mental health clinics be increased from one-half to three-quarters of a mill and that it be used for construction.
The governor also took no position on congressional redistricting.
"I clearly understand that reap-ortionment is a legislative function and is beyond the direction of the governor," he said.
"At the state level," Avery said, "our Kansas Senate has met the test of the Kansas Supreme Court on the matter of reapportionment, and I believe that there is no issue there.
Will to Live Keeps Churchill from Death
LONDON —(UPI)— Sir Winston Churchill lost more ground today and slipped peacefully near death. His valiant heart faltered but his will to live persevered.
"Sir Winston had a peaceful night," a medical bulletin released at 5:50 a.m. est said. "He is a little weaker but there is nothing further to report.
Lord Moran, Churchill's personal physician and longtime friend, said the next bulletin would be released tonight.
The pressures of a stroke weakening circulation and old age sapped the 90-year old Churchill's dwindling strength as he lay in a deep coma.
TODAY'S REPORT heightened fears that the end was near
The prayers of millions around the world that he could rally dimmed with each successive bulletin. Only the great warrior-statesman's subconscious fight for life seemed to be delving the inevitable.
Asked if Churchill was able to take any nourishment, Lord Moran replied; I can't answer that."
THE CROWD OUTSIDE the Churchill residence, which reached a peak of 500 at times over the weekend, had dwindled to about 60 bystanders today.
Lady Clementine Churchill remained at Sir Winston's bedside or within call. Other members of the family continued to come and go as they have ever since Sir Winston's grave condition became known.
At one point last night all Sir Winston's children and grandchildren gathered at the house, prompting speculation death might be imminent.
A medical expert, meanwhile, said that although Churchill is dying he could live for days or conceivably longer.
"IT IS OBVIOUSLY a terminal condition," the expert said, "but it is usually the history of these attacks that if they are not fatal in the first 48 hours they can go on for a long time.
"In winter, however, one is likely to find that respiratory complication will set in and this will be the end."
The British Medical Association does not permit doctors to be quoted by name in most cases.
Callers at the Churchill residence this afternoon included one of Churchill's daughters, Mrs. Mary Soames, her husband, conservative former minister Christopher Soames, and four Soames children.
Ex-KU Player Found Dead
Elvin Basham, two-time all-Big Eight football guard although he only weighed 185 pounds, was found dead Sunday in the garage of his home at Oklahoma City.
Basham, 25. played for KU in 1959, 1960 and 1961. He was with the Oakland Raiders of the American Football League for a brief period in 1962.
POLICE SAID the death was a suicide. The former Kansas Citian died from carbon monoxide poisoning, officers said. His head was found near the exhaust pipe of his car.
Basham played in the post-season U.S. and all-American Bowl games in 1961. He was also a member of the KU team that went to the Bluebonnet Bowl in 1961.
Of Basham's death, KU football Coach Jack Mitchell said:
"This is a terrible shock.
"He was a tremendous football player. If he had weighed 20 more pounds, he would have been one of the most tremendous players in the United States.
"In the coaching profession, you figure a boy who played the way he did is the ultimate."