Democrat and Chronicle from Rochester, New York • Page 173

SUNDAY JULY 17. 1983 ROCHESTER NEW YORK SECTION 0 4B RELIGION 6B HELP! 11B BRIEFING 4 Democrat anil (CbronirU hill cuuqbah pageant The annual event opens Friday in Palmyra. Background on its sponsors, the Mormon church, in Religion Close-Up on Page 4B. 4. ,98.

(-U (1 "''lllll'll I Albion's downtown faces crisis Merchants hoping fire will motivate the village to revitalize the area By Joe Dowd Democrat and Chronicle ALBION A fire that destroyed a downtown building here last week may be the catalyst that will revive the Orleans County village's ailing business climate, merchants say. Even before the July 7 fire, downtown Albion was dotted with empty store fronts and at times, deserted streets. Tony Massaro, who owns several buildings containing six businesses, said the fire may motivate the community, which residents agree is at a crossroads. "This will make citizens and business stand up and say that this is what we want, and we want it now," Massaro said. "We need a community that is run in a manner that's professional, with a better business atmosphere and community spirit.

All of that has been lacking right now." The July 7 fire, set by burglars, destroyed a building housing a Radio Shack store, Almcraft Lighting, and the Orleans County Chapter of the American Cancer Society, while damaging two other businesses. Downtown merchants held a sidewalk sale in this Orleans County village last week, but the festivities were overshadowed by a three-story skeleton looming in the heart of the business district "We're still having the sidewalk sale," said Ann Corbin, owner of Ann's Gift Shop which looks out on the burned-out, 100-year-old building that firefighters say is near collapse. "But this has kind of put a damper on things." "We moved our shop here a year and a half ago to try to bring downtown Albion back," said Corbin. "We're were trying to bring some moral support to the efforts here, but this is going to hurt." The fire that has brought so much attention to the community is only the most recent of a string of smaller crimes that have plagued downtown businesses, merchants said last week. "This may have been the spark that ignited the thoughts of many people," Massaro said.

TURN TO PAGE 8B Seven-year-old Roger Woodward escaped serious injury in an accidental fall. Bobby Leach survived in a barrel. irWffiltiltt I' Jt turn 'K. SSI W-fJS I III I Ml, I I I III Drinking drivers in New York rl All ages fgfl 18-20 years old ssfr EPA to study leaching in the Genesee River Associated Press BUFFALO The Environmental Protection Agency has agreed to spend $780,000 to study how to remove chemicals from the banks of the Genesee River in Wellsville that threaten the village's drinking water, a congressman says. The abandoned Sinclair Refinery in Wellsville, Allegany County, is rated as the most dangerous toxic chemical site in New York and sixth on the EPA's national priority list The EPA study of how to clean up the refinery so it does not leach a black, oily substance into the Genesee River should be finished in two months, VS.

Rep. Stanley Lundine, D-Jamestown, told the Buffalo News. The river is the village's only source of drinking water. While waiting for the EPA to act, the state Department of Environmental Conservation spent $40,000 this spring to re-channel a 600-foot stretch of the Genesee River near the refinery to limit leaching of the chemicals. The village's drinking water intakes, about a mile downstream from the refinery, are shut down during periods of heavy rain and spring thaw when there is more i leaching.

Under normal conditions the state Health Department has declared the water safe to drink. Sinclair Oil Co. closed the refinery in 1959 after a fire and gave the land to the village. The EPA claims that Atlantic Richfield which merged with Sinclair in 1969, is legally liable for the dump. Allegany man hit by car dies United Press International HUME An Allegany County man was struck and killed by a car early yesterday as he walked in the road in the rural town of Hume, state police said.

Ronald Mills, 26, of Rossburg, was walking alone on Route 19-A at about 3:30 a.m. when he was struck by a southbound car. He was thrown more than 130 feet and was dead at the scene, troopers said. The driver, who police did not identify, said he did not see Mills until it was too late. He was not charged.

'Coaster' opens at Marineland The largest steel roller coaster in the world, which turns riders upside down four times during the 3.2 minute ride, opened yesterday at Marineland in Niagara Falls, Canada. The roller coaster is 55,000 feet long and has the largest drop of any roller coaster, said Wally Emmett, director of marketing for Marineland. 2 The ride hits speeds of 47 miles an hour, while twisting and turning through and around a man-made mountain. By the 1984 season, the ride also will feature a trip through a one-third sized replica of Niagara Falls and past a 30-foot animated dragon that will breathe smoke, Emmett said. By 3 p.m.

yesterday, about 2,000 people had ridden in one of the two 28-passenger trains on the track, he said. Reagan's daughter dines here Maureen Reagan, President Reagan's daughter, is a great tipper, according to a local restaurant owner who served her dinner Friday night. John Rebis, owner of the Yellow Rose Cafe at 1784 Penfield Road, said a secret service man came to the restaurant at about 6:30 p.m. Friday and said the president's daughter would be dining there. The agents spent about an hour arranging where she would sit and keeping the other customers out of the area, Rebis said.

Then Reagan arrived with another woman and about six secret servicemen. She ordered fettucine alfredo and left after about two hours. Heart attack kills driver LEWISTON A 59-year-old man died of a heart attack yesterday afternoon as he was driving on Creek Road, Niagara County, sheriffs deputies said. George O. Kreps, 4205 McKoon Niagara Falls, was driving south on Creek Road when he had a heart attack at about 2:20 p.m., deputies said.

His car ran off the west side of the road and knocked down a mailbox in front of 4424 Creek Road. Kreps was pronounced dead on arrival at St Mary's Hospital in Lewiston. Diver died of neck injuries David C. Wales, 207 Nevins Road, Henrietta, who died while teaching his children how to dive into the backyard swimming pool, died of a fracture and dislocation of a cervical vertebra, according to an autopsy report from the medical examiner's office. Wales, 36, was pronounced dead at the scene about 4:30 p.m.

Friday after he hit his head while diving into a 4-foot-deep above-ground pool at his home. Bikers protest helmet law The New York Motorcycle Rights Organization protested the state's mandatory helmet law yesterday by parading about 350 helmet-less riders on 200 motorcycles through downtown Rochester. The demonstrators had a parade permit and a police escort as they rode from East High School at 1801 E. Main St to the Community War Memorial downtown. Because they had a parade permit they were allowed to ride without helmets and to park their bikes in front of the War Memorial for about 15 minutes to make speeches protesting the law, police said.

"We are firm believers that those who ride, should be the ones who make the decisions on whether they wear helmets or not," said Andy Treitler, a member of the motorcycle organization. I The members of the rights organization obey the law, but strongly disagree with it, he said. "The government doesn't really have a whole lot of business in our personal lives." Fatalities Percentage of but illegal plunge. Annie Edson Taylor started it all when she went over the falls in 1901. drivers drinking 180 7 17CH 160 150 140 Will this challenger of fails become 130H 'Last of the Niagara Daredevils'? 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 Stuntman has his barrel ready for the big ride at any moment Boy who survived falls plunge is an associate pastor of church 30 25 20 Dl By Jim Myers Democrat and Chronicle By Jim Myers Democrat and Chronicle '83 '82' '83 '82' First three months "All year I he miracle of Niagara happened June 9, 1960.

Smrrro nf ri.iu Hpnt nt Mntnr n(1 A seven-year-old boy, his 17-year-old sister and a Dept ol Alcoholism and Alcohol AOuse family friend were boating in the upper Niagara Bill Farley Democrat and Chronica M' arel Soucek says he first faT dreamed of going over XL Niagara Falls in a barrel when he heard of such stunts as a boy in Czechoslovakia. The 36-year-old stuntman and motorcyclist now wants to be known as "The Last of the Niagara Daredevils." He als6 wants to be rich and famous. Without saying exactly where River. The boat engine failed. Slowly, the boat was swept downstream toward the brink of the falls, finally capsizing and sending the three into the water.

The girl was rescued near the brink. The family friend, James HonneycuU, perished in the falls. The boy, Roger Woodward, was also swept over the brink, wearing only a flimsy lifejacket. The miracle described as even a million-to-one shot was that the 55-pound boy survived, almost unharmed. It is the only known case of anyone having survived the falls without using a barrel or other contraption.

Today, Roger Woodward is associate pastor of the Central Baptist Church in Brandon, near Tampa. He is 30 and says he has wrestled with the meaning of his unique TURN TO PAGE SB or when because daredevil Karel Soucek stunts are illegal on both the Canadian and American sides of the river Soucek promises he will ride a barrel over Niagara Falls sometime this summer. Presumably, the attempt will be on the Canadian side, the one viewed as most suitable for such adventures. The American side has hugh rockpiles at its base, into which any barrel would crash. TURN TO PAGE 2B There's a great flaw in plan: cSouceEc won't make nickel' By Jim Myers Democrat and Chronicle Statistics cheer higher drinking age advocates By Erik Gunn Democrat and Chronicle Alcohol-related traffic deaths in New York state have declined for the first three months of 1983 compared to the same period last year, particularly for teen-age drivers.

Advocates of a higher drinking age credit New York's newly implemented 19-year-old limit, but two state officials caution that while some statistics are encouraging, recent studies of alcohol-related accidents have been contradictory. It's too early to draw conclusions about any effects of the new drinking age, they sav. The legal drinking age in New York state was increased from 18 to 19 years of age on Dec. 5. A bill currently before a state Assembly committee would raise it even higher, to 21.

Marcus Salm, assistant director of the state Office of Alcohol and Highway Safety, stressed that any assessment of the new drinking age is "very He said one study shows that more drivers in the group 18 and older have been involved in alcohol-related accidents this year than last. But Robert Lillis, highway safety research director for the New York Department of Alcoholism and Alcohol abuse, said another study shows there has been a significant decrease in alcohol-related accidents involving drivers in the 18-20 age group. "That particular age group's drop was dramatically more than the overall drop," Lillis said. "It's clear that the trend is in the predicted direction." Both men said the drop in fatalities could simply reflect a nationwide trend attributable to many factors. TURN TO PAGE 9B rv uo alph Grant says there is one big flaw in Karel Soucek's plan to go over Niagara Falls in a t.i i'h.

WA-ftf I mm. wood or rubber they claimed were from barrels in which they'd taken their rides. The classic case involves Annie Edson Taylor, a widowed school teacher who started the whole thing with an 182-foot plunge over the falls in an oak barrel on Oct. 24, 1901. She hoped for fame and fortune.

Years later, she died penniless in the Niagara County Infirmary. Grant's gallery includes several other barrels involved in Niagara River adventures, including the one Soucek used to run the Whirlpool rapids below the falls in 1977. "I had to bail him out," Grant claimed. He said he paid Soucek's $100 fine for trespassing and $200 for the helicopter crew that retrieved the barrel. TURN TO PAGE 2B barrel: Soucek thinks there's going to be money in it.

"He wants the fame. He wants to make money," Grant said. "He won't make a nickel. Nobody ever did." Grant is the owner of a Niagara River attraction called the Great Gorge Trip and Daredevil Gallery in Niagara Falls, Ontario. He said he has been observing river lore for 65 years and for the last 25 has been collecting artifacts of stunts the river has inspired.

He says none of the five people who successfully navigated the Canadian falls in a barrel came even close to the wealth they expected. Several were reduced to posing for tourist pictures or selling off bits of.