The Minneapolis Star from Minneapolis, Minnesota • Page 1

Star The Minneapolis Tuesday, September 7, 1971 CHgM lift Ml till art TriiwM Cmmv Single Copy Price 15c (die nan TV towr rash i Six persons were killed, according to the Anoka County Sheriff's office, and at least two others injured i rB before 10 am- loday when a .1 5-foot television antenna tower crashed to the ground at the Shore-view antenna farm used by Twin Cities television stations. Debris and aluminum pieces' rained down on nearby yards from the crash. Witnesses said that what sounded like "a terrific explosion" preceded the fall of the tower, more than two city blocks long in height. Channel 11 went off the air at 9:54 a.m. Channel 4, which also was using the tower, went off the air momentarily but resumed broadcasting by reverting to its former antenna at the Foshay Tower.

Cause of the crash was not immediately known. The antenna farm in Shoreview is at N. Victoria St. and Ramsey County Rd. F.

Reports were sketchy in the early moments after the crash as police from several communities, ambulances and other workers began rescue attempts. However, one report indicated that five of the six persons killed were on the tower at the time it fell. The "antenna farm" consists mainly of two towers, the east and west. The east tower is 1,466 feet high, the west tower 1,375 feet. It was the west tower which fell.

It would have served WCCO, KSTP and WTCN. The east tower serves KMSP and Channels 2 and 17, the educational television stations. Both educational stations have been off the air since last month during a switchover to the new antenna location. The tower farm was built, according to a WCCO-TV spokesman, by Dresser Industries, of Columbus, Ohio. Five of the men were working at a height of about 1,350 feet.

One apparently was on the ground under the tower. Three bodies were still buried under metal and debris at noon and acetylene torches were brought in to cut away the metal. The WCCO-TV spokesman said that more than $1 million has been spent on the joint lower construction project and the workers were building a platform on lop of it to support individual antennas of the three stations. That, part of the job was to have been completed at the end of September, he said. 'I he tower was constructed by National Steel Erectors Corp.

of Muskogee, Okla. G. U. Lehman, the firm's vice-president, said by telephone that a crew of men were flying to the scene to try to determine what happened. It 'rained aluminum, PjjliW 0)) tffl Sir) a "Cr I I I Southeast Asia I I Legislature Mrs.

William Droege, 877 W. Cty. Rd. was talking on the telephone Tuesday morning about 10 a.m. when she saw the television transmission tower fall.

Her attention was first attracted when two men driving a large truck past her home suddenly stopped the truck, climbed out, and put their hands over their heads as though they were preparing to climb under the truck for shelter, she reported. A second or two later, she said she heard what sounded like "a terrific explosion" from the vacant lot across County Rd. F. on which stood the two 1 transmission towers. She said the Droege residence is about 2,000 feet from the towers.

"I saw a bunch of sand come flying up out of the hill," she said. "The guide line that supports one tower snapped, and the tower seemed to hesitate, and then started weaving. It collapsed in layers, just like a stepladder that was chopped in pieces." After the collapse of the tower, it "rained aluminum, dirt and dust" for about five or 10 seconds in the Droege front yard, Mrs. Droege said. She saw no people around the tower because of the thick trees at the edge of the vacant lot.

"But I'm sure if anybody was in the tower, they just did not have a WITNESS Turn to Page 4A The Minnesota Legislature, deadlocked over taxes, had another problem dumped into its lap today when State Auditor Hatfield said the state is facing "a cash flow crisis" that will make it tougher for the state to borrow money. Details: Page 10A. International Phnom Penh Terrorists today tried to assassinate U.S. Ambassador Swank by blowing up his limousine with 20 pounds of plastic explosive strapped to a bicycle, but the bomb failed to explode. An alert chauffeur swerved and avoided a head-on crash with the bicycle.

Details: Section. Saigon American infantry moved into two forward fire bases to free South Vietnamese troops for a major drive near the Laotian border, military spokesmen said. And two U.S. fighter-bombers attacked antiaircraft sites inside North Vietnam that reportedly had fired on an unarmed reconnaissance plane. Details: Page 10C.

Hamburg The coolness and skill of a 32-year-old pilot were credited today with preventing a greater disaster when a West German charter airliner crashed after making an emergency landing on a superhighway. One-hundred of the 121 passengers and crew members on board survived Monday's crash. Forty-five were injured and 17 remained hospitalized today. Details: Section. City and state National CjSt- jL I St.

Louis, Mo. The U.S. Court of Appeals has upheld an earlier Minnesota court ruling denying the state's right to set nuclear radiation standards more restrictive than fed-erald regulations. Sports TOWER FALLS This is one of the two TV antenna towers at Shore-view. One fell today, killing six persons.

Stations on air, but reception may be blurred The two television stations operating from the collapsed tower in Shoreview expected to be in full operation from their former transmitters on the Foshay Tower today, but some problems with reception were expected. WCCO-TV, Channel 4, and WTCN, Channel 11, were operating from a temporary antenna about half-way up the 1,375 tower at Lexington Av. and Interstate Hwy. 694, which collapsed. Both still had equipment in the Foshay Tower antenna that allowed them to continue broadcasting, but the nearly completed IDS building, which is higher than the Foshay television antenna, was expected to deflect signals for many viewers.

"Ghosts" in pictures could be expected, one official said. KMSP, Channel 9, which formerly broadcast from the Foshay Tower, now is operating from its new tower about one-eighth mile from the collapsed tower. KTCA, Channel 2, and KTCI, Channel 17, the educational television stations, are in the process of switching to the Channel 9 tower. KSTP-TV, Channel 5, still is operating frorn its broadcasting tower on University Av. The station had planned to switch to the tower which collapsed.

Gordie Howe, 25-year veteran of the Detroit Red Wings in the National Hockey League, has decided to retire and will not play this coming season, The Star learned today. Details: Page ID. Washington The number of preschool children in the United States declined sharply in the 1960s, making zero population growth in this century a distinct possibility, a research team has concluded. Children under age 5 decreased from more than 20 million in 1960 to about 17 million in 1970. Details: section.

Atlanta Minor protests were reported in scattered areas of the South today as more large urban school districts opened under new court orders requiring an end to classroom segregation. Details: Page 8C. Washington The amount of lead in the air of most major cities apparently has not changed significantly in 15 years despite a rapid increase in use of leaded gasoline, says the National Research Council. The report said there is 20 times more lead over major cities than in the country, but it was "no identifiable current threat to the general population." Details: Section. Weather Associated Press ers were arrested as the school busing program got under way.

The bus yard where the protest occurred is the same one in which 10 buses were dynamited 10 days ago. Details: Page 8C BUSING PROTESTERS One of five women who chained themselves to a fence gate in an attempt to stop Pon-tiac, school buses from leaving on their rounds early today is cut loose by police. Nine female protest- The skies will be variably cloudy tonight with a 33 percent chance of rain dropping to 20 percent Wednesday. The temperature should remain in the 80-degree range iwth a high of 82 tomorrow. Details: Page 5D.

MINNEAPOLIS TEMPERATURES WEDDING 2 'U' homosexuals wed in ceremony Midnight 1 a.m. 2 a.m. 3 a.m. 4 a.m. .57 ..57 .61 ,67 72 76 6 a.m.

7 a.m. 8 a.m. 9 a.m. 10 a.m. 11 a.m.

.61 .61 .59 ,59 .60 59 approved the adoption of Baker by McConnell. Baker's name was changed to Pat Lyn McConnell. The couple repeatedly has attempted to get married but have failed to get court approval. Minneapolis. Mr.

Lynn was in conference this morning, but an associate acknowledged the ceremony had been performed. Earlier this year, Hennepin County District Judge Lindsay G. Arther Business 5 a.m. TOMORROW: Cloudy Index 1 Two University of Minnesota homosexual roomates who have been attempting for nearly a year to marry in Minnesota were united in wedlock Friday by a United Methodist minister in a private ceremony. The license had been obtained in Blue Earth County at Mankato.

The newlyweds, Jack Baker, president of the university study body, and James M. McConnell, both 29, were on a honeymoon today and will not be available for a press conference until Friday, said a close friend, John Prestoon, who made the marriage announcement today. The ceremony was performed by the Rev. Roger Lynn in a home in Washington ongressional leaders said today President Nixon will address a joint session of Congress at 1 1 :30 a.m. Minneapolis time Thursday.

They presumed his topic would be the economic situation. Details: Page 2A. Tuesday Dow Jones Averages (Noon N.Y.) Avg. Chg. 30 Industrials 919.98 7.23 20 Transportations 248.86 2.87 15 Utilities 113.69 .99 65 Storks- 315.91 2.89 Noon sales, 8,920,000 shares Luna 18 in near-lunar orbit MOSCOW, U.S.S.R.

(M The unmanned Soviet space vehicle Luna 18 went into near-lunar orbit today, Tass said. The craft approached the moon and swung around it at the end of a five-day flight during which several corrections in the vehicle's trajectory were made. Tass said ground control had 29 "communications sessions" with the automatic station during the flight. EditorialOpinion Pages 8, 9A Books and the Arts Section Business News Section TV, Radio Inside Back Page, Section Variety Pages 1-7C Comics Pages 8, 9C Sports Pages 1-4D 4 Sections xcm No. 245 STAR TELEPHONES News, General 372-4141 Want Ads 372-4242 Circulation 372-4343 MB Condemnation awards rise ORE AND MORE Hennepin County property owners are finding that if they refuse to negotiate Property owners gain by refusing negotiation Both lots are about the same size.

Three appraisers for Hennepin County estimated similar market values for the two lots. But the owner who went through condemnation proceeding got nearly $30,000 more for his lot than did the owner who negotiated a settlement without condemnation. Both lots were purchased for a new General Hospital. The parking-lot cases are not isolated examples. The Minneapolis Star studied recent land acquisitions by the county in a three-block area where the new General Hospital will be built and found: ONE: When the county acquired property through condemnation, it paid an average of 31 percent more than the figures set by appraisers.

On a $200,000 building, this could amount to more than $60,000. TWO: When the county reached a voluntary agreement with property owners, it paid an average of 8 percent more than the appraised values. "Right now, it looks a cinch, if a guy goes to condemnation, he gets a lot more money," said Donald Lalor, who oversees much of the county's land acquisition and appraising. Robert l.ocky, St. Louis Park city assessor, agrees: "Now, when government wants something, an owner savs, 'Now we're going to make some money and retire.

All we have to do is get a legal eagle and walk away with a County Commissioner David Lindgren is one of several public officials who have expressed concern about the difference between appraisals for the county and the awards by condemnation commissions: "If we are talking about $5,000 to $10,000 difference, that's easy to un- CONDEMNATION Turn to Page 4A Are Hennepin County and other governmental units being forced to pay urm.siy high prices for property simply because a property owner refuses to negotiate and forces condemnation? Staff writers Betty Wilson and Stephen Silha and Assistant City Editor Larry Fuller studied the situation in Hennepin County. Their reports will be published today and Wednesday. They concluded that: Property owners can "shop" for appraisers who will provide appraisals of their property far higher than county appraisers. Condemnation commissions, which decide the amount for the property, nearly always award at least the average of the county and property owner's appraisal and often favor the owner. Because there is an excellent chance they will get more money through condemnation, a growing number of property owners will not seriously negotiate for a voluntary settlement.

The awards by the commissions are causing land-acquisition costs for profects like the new General Hospital to jump far beyond original estimates. with the county on land and buildings for such projects as General Hospital, they can get much more sometimes thousands of dollars more by forcing the county to condemnation. It's not a totally new situation but it is increasing and the stakes are higher. The county acquired all of the property for the civic center without condemnation; about half the property for the new General Hospital has been condemned. Property owners know that their chances of getting more money through condemnation than negotiation are excellent.

And partly for this reason, land-acquisition costs for General Hospital, originally projected about $2.5 million, have shot upward to an anticipated $3.5 million. The case of two small parking lots on the fringe of the downtown offers an example. The lots would appear to have similar market value. Both are on the same side of S. 7th St.

between Park and Chicago Avs. S. one at the corner of 7th and Park; the other in the middle of the block with access to Chicago and 7th. Related reports: Page IB.