The Cincinnati Enquirer from Cincinnati, Ohio • Page 30

C-2 METRO TODAYSUBURBAN NEWS THE CINCINNATI ENQUIRER 'Friday February 9, 1979 i i i i I i Hydrant, Hose And Wall Confined Fire Destruction? suHa in brie! Court Sentences Mother In Death FT' failr pit IjN PfW feffei 'star BY WALT SCHAEFER Enquirer Reporter INDIAN HILL Newly purchased five-inch hose, a privately owned and working fire hydrant, and a brick wall that served as a fire wall helped prevent extensive damage to a mansion here Thursday, said Chief Ed Lewis of the Madeira-Indian Hill Fire Co. Damage to the residence of Mr. and Mrs. David G. Gamble, 8221 Spooky Hollow was confined to one end of the home, Lewis said.

Just more than two years ago, firefighters here were hampered by inadequate water pressure and the lack of a nearby fire hydrant in fighting a blaze that gutted the 34-room LeBlond mansion, 7550 Given Rd. CHIEF LEWIS estimated the loss at to the home of the great-grandson of one of the founders of the Procter Gamble Co. Lewis could not estimate the damage to property that included a baby grand piano, an antique piano and an antique pool table. When asked to value the lost contents of her 28-year-old home, Mrs. Prlscllla Oamble replied: "How?" The blaze began in the game room of the three story home at 111 p.m., Lewis said.

The chief said he believed the fire was caused by a defective electric space heater there. "That room does get cold," Mrs. Gamble said. Someone was last in the game room about 11 a.m., she said. DAVID GAMBLE, who is confined to a wheelchair, and Mrs.

Gamble escaped the blaze. They were alerted to smoke coming from "either the basement or the game room," by their helper, Amanda Lewis, Mrs. Gamble said. Amanda Lewis said she was opening a refrigerator in a hallway near the game room when smoke came billowing into the hall. "I ran right, straight out and hollered for Mr.

and Mrs. Gamble to get right out of there," said the woman. Gamble, a partner in the Taft, Stettinlus Holllster law firm, was upstairs at the time. He was helped down a flight of stairs and out of the building to a station wagon. Lewis said he believes the fan In the electric heater was not working properly.

Heat built up in the vinyl floor, igniting floor boards and quickly spreading. THE FIRE apparently smouldered for some time then expanded rapidly upward through the home, Lewis said. Vinyl tile will burn under intense heat, he said. The Gamble home is located about 500 feet from the private fire hydrant and a total of 1100 feet from Spooky Hollow Road. At the LeBlond fire on January 21, 1977, the only fire hydrant near the house was old and Unusable.

The LeBlond home Is 3000 feet from Given Road, Lewis said. Thursday, firefighters quickly tapped the nearby private hydrant serving three homes to fight the blaze. The entire Gamble house sustained smoke damage, Lewis said. A brick wall separating the fire-damaged side of the home from the rest of the structure forced flames Enquirer photo BY NATALIE FOBES FORMER FIREFIGHTER Ed Indian Hill Koch and Mrs. Priscilla Gamble point to firefighters near the Gamble residence, 8221 Spooky Hollow were trying to hook their lines onto hydrants, the blaze was "small and confined to the master bedroom." She said the delay that was encountered allowed the fire to reach uncontrollable proportions.

The General Electric the Village of Indian Hill and the Madeira-Indian Hill Fife Co. were named as defendants. As a result of the 1977 winter blaze; the village council passed an ordinance in April, 1977, requiring all new homes to be within 500 feet of either a village or privately installed fire hydrant. The ordinance did not apply to existing homes. took his law degree at Yale University.

His great-grandfather was James Gamble, who was the partner of William Procter when the soap firm began in 1837. THREE WEEKS ago, inadequate water pressure in the fire department's lines was blamed in part in a half-million dollar damage suit filed about three weeks ago by Mrs. Mary C. LeBlond and nine Insurance companies. In the suit, Mrs.

LeBlond said a defective electric blanket caused the 1 a.m. fire that gutted the mansion on the 200-acre LeBlond estate. The suit avers that while firefighters upwards instead of horizontally through the rest of the house. WHEN FIREFIGHTERS arrived, flames were shooting out windows and from the roof, Lewis said. They used five-inch hose bought by the department after the LeBlond blaze, Lewis said.

Surveying the fire aftermath, Mrs. Gamble shrugged and said, "It's horrendous, isn't it." She later told Lewis, "I think you did a terrific Job of getting the fire out." Mrs. Gamble said she and her husband will stay with her sister, Mrs, John Wulsin, who also resides on Spooky Hollow Road. David Gamble is a Princeton graduate who Facts Driven Home: County Roads Ailing Little Miami Rail Plan Could Be In Jeopardy Jana Arrington was sentenced to 4-25 years In the Ohio Reformatory for Women at Marysville Thursday for her part in the death of her five-year-old son, Keith, last July. Mrs.

Arrlngton, 23, pleaded guilty in December to a reduced charge of involuntary manslaughter. Mrs. Arrington and Michael Austin, 21, were charged with murder after the child died July 18 at Children's Hospital Medical Center, following a beating at the Arrlngton home, 1872 Lotus Hill Seven Hills, Springfield Township. Her attorney. Jack Rubensteln, told Hamilton County Common Judge Robert Gorman that JrVArrtngton had been co-operative and very remorseful about her role in the boy's death.

Mrs. Arrlngton agreed to cooperate in the prosecution of Austin in exchange for pleading guilty of a lesser charge. Austin was tried for murder, but Gorman convicted him of a lesser charge of involuntary saying that at no time did Aus-'tiri have a specific intent to kill the was sentenced to 7-25 'years in prison. Merger Study Suggested rjEER PARK Of icials should study the possibility of annexing trial part of Deer Park School District which is In Sycamore Township, Mayor Francis R. Healy said Thursday.

Hi suggestion came in light of discussion and study of a possible merger of the cities of Blue Ash, Sycamore and Syrhmes Townships. become of some interest in this" because of the effects a merger would have on the com-inunity school district, he said. half of the school district is in' Sycamore Township, he said. areas include part of and Dillonvale. -Councilman Robert Schuler agreed with the mayor and suggested someone from the city attend ttffeir public meetings.

The suggestion for the merger 'study came from Sycamore Trustee Bechtold. Sixteen representatives from all four areas have had one meeting, and will meet again Saturday to continue discussions. i Funds Approved For City Sewers MT. HEATHY This city has from Hamilton County 'Officials of the tentative approval of 1350,000 Community Development to replace the aging storm- sewer-system In Its southeastern section. The three-year grant Includes Cftoasy lor acquisition of land for parking in the southeastern section of the city, "the oldest section of Mt.

Healthy," Councilwoman Lois Melvin said. These storm sewers are "wooden b6x sewers and the wood has finally out," Mrs. Melvin said Wednesday. Some of the old sewer lines crisscross under private property and will have to be rerouted because the city has no authority to go onto private -property to make repairs, Mrs. Melvin said.

"Mt. Healthy was not a planned city," she said. "Houses were built on top of the sewer lines." Oak Hills Senior Among Top 300 vCMk; HILLS SCHOOLS Rajesh sGftrg, who ranks first in his senior 875 at Oak Hills High "School, has earned another honor. He is one of 300 students from the nation to be named to the Honors Group of the 38th Science Talent Search, a national science competition. Rajesh is the son of Shyam and Pren Oarg, 5475 Lariat Delhi Tdwnshlp.

He left Mltapur, on the west coast of India, when he was six years old. His father works for Montsanto Co. The project for which Rajesh won the science honor was titled 'Prediction of Man's Effects on the -Carbon Budget of the Biosphere Through Computer Simulation." School Slates Arts Program READING SCHOOLS This year's cultural arts program at Hillfeop School, Bolser and Sanborn will feature two daytime concerts by a string ensemble from Cincinnati's School for Creative and I performing Arts. Monday programs, at 12:30 p.m: and 1:15 p.m., are open to the public In the school's gymnasium. More than two-thirds of Ohio's county roads are falling apart according to county engineers, who say they don't have the money to make repairs.

According to a survey released Thursday by the County Engineers Association of Ohio, ruts, bumps, and broken pavement make 72 of the state's 69,090 miles of county roads dangerous to drive on. HAMILTON COUNTY roads are in bad shape too, but "we'd probably fare a little better than average by "comparison," Hamilton County Engineer Donald Schramm said Thursday. "We're all In the same boat. We all need money to keep our (road) systems healthy," said Schramm, False Alarms Too High For Officials worse In the western part of the county, Schramm said. "Many of our roads need to be resurfaced or need patching," Schramm said.

"We're not resurfacing enough miles of road a year." To help make ends meet In, Schramm has delayed repairs on county roads, and has allowed his work force to shrink 30 through attrition. Engineers plan to ask the Ohio General Assembly for more money, either through a change in the gasoline tax (a straight 20 of the wholesale price), or the implementation of a value-added tax on new and used cars. If a value-added tax were approved, Schramm said engineers would be willing to give up the money they receive from license plate fees. The Ohio Farm Bureau Federation has criticized the condition of county and township roads and bridges. Schramm said the condition of bridges is worse even than the roads.

A report is due soon. Representatives of the Greater Cincinnati Alarm Dealers Association, the police department and the business community have met to see what can be done. According to F.M. Rolf, president of the alarm-dealers association, council committee want to see whose alarms are going off most frequently and why they are being activated. "SUBSCRIBERS MAY not be using the system properly," Rolf said.

False calls could be reduced if homeowners are educated, he explained. In a letter to Mrs. Kennedy, chairwoman of the Community Conservation and Safely Committee, Rolf admitted false alarms wasted police resources. But, Rolf noted, false alarms "also waste alarm-company resources. The police and alarm industry are acutely aware of this, and they both have Initiated efforts across the country to relieve the dilemma." Rolf, special projects director for American Alarm Co.

asked council to look at the value of such systems. "What they fail to realize is that alarms deter crime," he said. Wyoming, Indian Hill and other communities also have burglar-alarm ordinances, he said. president of the state association. The survey was conducted for the association by the Road Information Program, Washington, D.C.

The Road Information Program Is a research and Information agency supported by the transportation construction Industry. The survey recommends a billion-dollar, 10-year county foad renewal program averaging $112.7 million a year. Schramm said bad roads are taking a heavy toll In front-end alignments, replacement bearings, shock absorbers and wheels In cars and trucks. ROADS ARE wearing out at faster rates because of increased traffic and traffic Is expected to increase 40 in the next decade. Roads are THE ORDINANCE set fines of $25 for the first false alarm, $100 for the second false alarm and $200 for the third.

Councilwoman Florence Kennedy said the proposal is back before council's Community Conservation and Safety Committee to be amended or completely rewritten. "The problem is still being studied," said Police Chief Ray Moore. "The number of calls are stilt about the same." said Phil Herrlck, city administrative assistant The new salaries Include: police chief, police sergeant, $18423; police Investigator, patrolman, $13, 418 to service director, maintenance helper, $2.90 an hour to fire marshal, $5300. In other business, Councilman Charles Abbott told council that groundbreaking for the new Swalm Fields Park at Cooper and Zlg-Zag Rds. Is expected In May.

The city has received $150,000 federal grant for the 13-acre park on the site, a former golf course. "We think we've doiie-it realistically," he said. The $1 million from the General Assembly a like amount of federal aid will be used to buy as much right-of-way as possible. ODNR couldnthave bought it all at once. I Olson said ODNR does not have money to build or rebuild a railroad, but he added nothing preVeiits ODNR from seeking such funds once it owns the riverside AN ODNR feasibility study is being done on the railroad proposal, Olson said.

His recreation services division wants to avoid building "white elephant," he told The ''Enquirer recently. ODNR-approved destruction of the Little Miami Railroad infuriated railroad advocates. They claimed citizen support for ODNR's purchase Of the right-of-way assumed the inclusion of tourist trains running along the river and bringing new money to communities depressed by Penn Central's abandonment of the Little Miami Railroad. This support was important to a $1 million federal railroad revitallzation grant, Washington officials said. RICE ESTIMATED Penn Central can salvage up to $2.7 million from the from track, for used tie plates and $163,400 for joint bars.

Most of the 43 miles of track was heavy duty, he said, and easily sold. Whether Penn Central has passed this saving on to ODNR Is uncertain. Olson maintained his cite figures, but he reacted to Rice's estimates, saying, "I've seen all kinds of ranges on that stuff." -r Rice said Penn Central Is doing pretty well if it gets $2.7 million for salvaged hardware and $2 million for the right-of-way on the Little Miami when the asking price was about $4 million for the land and railroad. Rice said the roadbed is In good condition, and he estimated new ties and track could be laid for between $130,000 and $150,000 a mile for a tourist line. That means a scenic route from Loveland to Corwtn Waynesville could cost between $3 9 million and $4.5 million, he said: William Sprague, president, of the Railway Exposition which wants to operate the train, reacted 'to the figures, saying, "what; a waste." BY BEN L.

KAUFMAN Enquirer Reporter Ohio's Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) is abandoning the Little Miami Railroad as a tourist attraction, figures made available Thursday suggest Estimates of track-laying costs support critics who say ODNR is not seriously considering a riverside railroad once the state owns the 43-mile right-of-way. ODNR's Don Olson denied his office is "backing out" on the railroad. The head of recreation services repeated his contention ODNR's first priority is to get the land for a multipurpose "recreation corridor." BECAUSE ODNR agreed to allow, the bankrupt Penn Central to salvage rails to satisfy its creditors, the land price has fallen to about $2 million, according to a Penn Central spokesman. "You know how much money we have, $2 million, and no more," Olson reaffirmed Thursday. Once the state owns the land, it could cost taxpayers another $4 million for the projected 30-mlle scenic railroad from Loveland to Corwln Waynesville In Warren County.

Thursday, Olson said figures from $3 million to $8 million were tossed around before ODNR decided to forsake the rails for the land. Even a shorter scenic line from Loveland to Morrow would cost about $2 million, Richard J. Rice said Thursday. He is vice president of the railroad division of Newberry Construction which has been laying track for more than half a century. HAD ODNR bought the land and track for $4 million as a package, a slow, tourist train could have been run on the existing track with little extra work, partisans agree.

Today, the choices are: Consolidate track left behind with new track for the desired distance. Nobody knows what Penn Central is leaving. Lay new track if Penn Central takes up all of the usable rails. Forget the scenic railroad for now and devote the "recreation corridor" to fishing and canoeing access sites, hiking, biking and bridle trails. ODNR is committed to those facilities.

It always has treated the land as essential and the railroad as frost-in on the cake. Olson insists railroad backers know this and they and ODNR agreed on land as their first priority. BY BARBARA MURPHY 'Enquirer Reportei MONTGOMERY The number of false burglar alarms here last month was lower than usual, but city officials still are concerned that a monthly average of 40-50 Is too high. However, council has set aside an ordinance designed to curb false alarms, after hearing the first reading of the measure December 6. After three readings, the proposal would become law.

Montgomery Employees Get 8-Plus Raise, Dental Plan MONTGOMERY The city fathers have given their employees a salary increase with teeth in It. The approved resolution living the staff an Increase of slightly more than 8 carried a fringe bene-, fit that for the first time pays for a dental insurance plan for all employees. A second "first-time" fringe will, pay dry cleaning of uniforms for all police department members. Mayor Fred Young called the dental insurance plan a progressive move. City officials surveyed city employee salaries In 13 municipalities,.