The Times-Tribune from Scranton, Pennsylvania • 3

SUNDAY TIMES, JANUARY 11, 1981-SCRANTON, PA, A-3. We Drives by Night, So Bob Richmond Never Has Seen Tax' There are Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve tours of duty, 12-hour night shifts, no-pay passengers, and a seemingly endless line of drunks who perceive the back seat of cabs as a second home. "I never saw confesses Bob Richmond, a 33-year-old driver for Tom Ford Taxi Co "Working nights, how couldl?" Richmond is a quiet veteran of the road, having By WILLIAM SOBERS, Times Staff Writer In the popular ABC Television series "Taxi" a bunch of cab drivers with stylish haircuts hang around a cab station all day enjoying the company of a luscious brunette with no clearly defined duties. The gang is a rollicking group, but rarely does the plot touch on the monotonous duties and hazards of the average cabbie. spent the past 12 years driving cabs and the five years before that as a charter bus driver.

He's philosophical about what others might term a hardship job and makes the best of it. "I don't mind working holidays," he explains. "I get other days off when I ask. You know, one hand washes the other." The Green Ridge cabbie takes the same attitude when it comes to working his choice night shift. "I prefer nights because I personally don't care for the traffic and the sun beating down," he reasons.

"You can't move during the day. At night I get a break and have the road to myself." The night shift Richmond likes so much begins at 6 p.m. and ends at 7 the following morning. On a recent night, it's shortly after 6:30 when the cabbie pulls away from the Ford Taxi office in the 200 block of Wyoming Avenue, heading for Cooper's Seafood House to take a fare to Moses Taylor Hospital. During the course of the shilt, he will make bet-' ween 30 and 40 such trips, admitting he never stopped to figure up how much mileage he rolls up each year.

His next customer wants to go from Madison Avenue to a state store in the 300 block of Adams Avenue. Richmond waits for the customer to return from the store for the return trip. The fare complains about an alleged 20-cent overcharge. "That's the surcharge," explains the driver. It's a rather routine night, but it's not always that way.

"I almost had a baby born in the back seat about a month ago," Richmond says. "I took a girl from the 500 block of Prescott Avenue to CMC. She thought she was going to have the baby, but it was false. "Another time I took a guy from Grove Street in Dunmore and he had a heart attack in the cab," he continues. "I got him to State Hospital." Now headed for the 300 block of Taylor Avenue, Richmond admits this is about the extent of his excitement as a cab driver.

"I never was held up," he states. "I put my trust in my pilot (God)." The woman he picks up on Taylor Avenue wants to go to a pool hall on Olive Street. She gives detailed instructions where she wants to be dropped off. "I want to catch him blowing the money on a pool game," she fumes. Constantly receving instructions over the cab radio, Richmond heads for Pine Brook.

"You know, the best tippers are the poor people," he says as he wheels his Plymouth into Green Place. "I had one Christmas Eve," he says to illustrate his point. "I took a guy from the Greyhound Bus Terminal to Mount Carmel an $80 trip and he didn't even give a tip." "It was a beautiful night for a ride," he adds. But this wasn't the farthest trip the city bachelor has made. That was a trek to New York City in July a trip with a $125 fare.

"It was 12 at night at the Greyhound Terminal," the cabbie remembers. "Two ladies got sick on a charter to Montreal. Their husbands went on and sent them back. The older woman couldn't take the ride." The cab driver now is dispatched to Keyser-Oak Shopping Center, where he is to pick up a woman with groceries and take her to Bangor Heights. On the way, he admits his love for taxis isn't unshakable.

"I would leave when I'm paid what I'm accustomed to being paid," he says. "But these kind of jobs won't be found in Scranton. "I'm satisfied with the wages. Of course we have to put in more hours to make anything," he adds. His next trip is from the 1700 block of Wayne Avenue to the 2700 block of North Main Avenue.

Traveling through the narrow North Scranton streets provides fuel for a pet peeve. "For a town this size, the city streets are a disgrace when it snows," he grumbles. "They'd never want me in government," he continues. "I thought of running for office, but I'd take the money they confiscate and give it to the poor people." Zipping north through Providence Square, Richmond spills more of his inner feelings. "One of these days I want to fulfill a dream," he says.

"I want my money to go to the crippled children's hospital run by, the Shriners. I'm a member of Irem Temple Shriners and active in Masonic work," he adds. The cabbie backs his words with actions. Each year he charters three or four buses to take area school kids to the Shriner circus in Kingston. From his own pocket he shells out $100 for candy apples and $70 to charter each bus.

"I personally followed up a Moosic child who was born with her legs out of the sockets," says Richmond. "Today, through operations at Shriners Hospital in Philadelphia, she's walking." And the dispatches keep coming in. From the 1300 block of Adams to the 1800 block of Dickson; some teen-agers want to go from Fordham Court to Skatea-way in Taylor. From a bar in the 2200 block of Jackson a customer, obviously absorbing more than his share of holiday cheer, gets in the cab and announces: "I'm going to Alaska take this cab to Hawaii." The customer wants to know what took the cab so long getting to the bar. "What took so long?" asks Richmond.

"It takes time to take people to Hawaii." In the saddle and ready to ride, cabbie Bob Richmond lights up before moving streets on one of the 30 or more calls he will answer during his 12-hour trick behind the hall, a hospital, a state liquor store or even New York City. But Hawaii (Staff McDade Is Just One Seat Away from Key Congressional Post By LUCILLE CRAFT Times Washington Bureau WASHINGTON The seniority shakeup in Congress this year will push Scranton Republican Joseph McDade almost within reach of the coveted ranking minority seat on the powerful House Appropriations Committee. And if the Republicans press forward as promised on cutting aid to localities, McDade will need all the clout he can muster. A respected member of the appropriations committee, which composes the budgets for each of the 13 departmental agencies, McDade is now second only to ranking Republican Silvio Conte, R-Mass. McDade eased into the No.

2 spot after the departure of Rep. Robert Michel, who gave up his seat when he was elected House minority leader. With the departure of dele-gation dean William Moorhead last session, McDade has now served more years than any other Pennsylvanian of either.par-ty in either House or Senate. The 10-term congressman from the 10th District has made no secret of his desire to lead the Republicans on appropriations and, should Conte's seat become vacant, it would probably be his. He already holds the highest GOP slot on the House Small Business Committee, which studies the problems of entrepreneurs and suggests means of aiding them.

Already near the top of the pecking order, McDade's is a familiar face at joint conferences, and staffers predict his ascension of one rung this session will have little effect on his stature on the committee. "It's a pretty elegant cut of people," says committee staff director Keith Mainland, who has served on the panel almost as long as McDade. "The Republican side of appropriations has produced a number of leaders in government." Former President Gerald Ford, retired Minority Leader John J. Rhodes and current House GOP chief Michel are among the committee's alumni. "It's sort of a seedbed for leaders," Mainland said.

Nelligan on a Hit List in out through the darkened wheel. It may be to a pool Photo by Mullen) the HUD-Independent Agencies panel. The ranking minority member is entitled to hire his own staff and, together with the committee chairman, decides which members may join House-Senate conferences called to iron out disputes on controversial bills. Holding that prerogative can mean the difference between consensus and stalemate. For McDade, having political stature enabled him, for example, to insert language in one of the appropriations measures to prevent illegal aliens from being counted during reapportionment.

The passage later was killed, but not before McDade shepherded it to passage in the House. Record list," replied Taylor. "But that's highly unlikely." Taylor was short on what it is about the two that makes the committee see red. "Just their stands, in general," he said. "They're both lined up with Reagan." Their biggest sin, it seems, is that they both beat Democratic incumbents.

Nelligan, a former congressional aide who also shares the Republican yen for less government spending, beat Rep. Raphael Musto of Pitt- Deductible Under the tax laws, withdrawals from either an IRA or a Keogh account may not take place before age 59V4 without incurring a 10 percent IRS penalty, but withdrawals must begin in the year in which the individual turns 70H. If a self-employed person it may be a manufacturer's representative, a barber, a physician, a dentist, an accountant, etc. has full-time employees working for him, they must also be covered if the employer sets up a Keogh Plan. Incidentally, the contributions to the employees' retirement program are tax deductible to the self-employed person.

Bryden led. Hosie out and re-entered the affected area. He then gave directions to those caught behind the cave on how to get out. Bryden finally came out himself, dragging with him Dennis Farrell, who was severely injured. His efforts were recognized in 1851, when Bryden was presented with a compass and a case of mathematical instruments by mine workers in Carbon-dale in appreciation of his heroic act.

Anthony Finnerty presented the gifts. James Archbald, afterward first mayor of Carbondale, presided. Bryden, who it was said JOSEPH M. McDADE Time ston, who replaced the ailing Rep. Dan Flood last April.

Coyne, president of his own chemical'firm and a supporter of Reagan's planned cuts in domestic programs, defeated Peter Kostrriayer, who was popular with environmental and consumer groups. Kostmayer, taking the same line as the committee, has said his defeat was more a result of President Jimmy Carter's weaknesses than Coyne's strengths. He has vowed a comeback in 1982. from Tax Because of the added expense of covering employees when a Keogh Plan is established, some self-employed people elect instead to establish IRAs for themselves. The contribution ceiling is lower for an IRA only $1,500 a year but when this type of retirement program is adopted, there is no requirement to cover employees as well.

Contributions may be made to a Keogh Plan as late as the April 15 filing deadline for the tax return as long as the account was opened by last Dec. 31. (NEXT: Simplified pensions (Newspaper Enterprise Assn.) the congressman. "We're not going to be able to walk away from a number of programs that have kept us alive. may be viewed as low priorities in a whole host of areas around this government, but it's going to cause us a lot of pain if they suffer massive cuts." To date the economically depressed 10th District has received nearly $5 million in UDAG funds, and looks to the Economic Development Administration for another $1.5 million yearly in job-creating funds.

Committee staffers agree that McDade's years on the committee enabled him, among other things, to keep open the 600-employee Chamberlain munitions plant in Scranton. aftpr recent elections held at 1 846 the breaker built over the shaft caught fire and burned. In recent years, there was the Knox Disaster. It occurred on Jan. 22, 1959, when the Susquehanna River broke into the River Slope of the Knox Coal Co.

at Port Griffith, near Pittston. Briefly, 12 men died when the river came crashing down through thin cover; 33 others managed to claw their way to freedom and 36 more raced to the surface moments before the cascading waters caught them in the underground labyrinth. That accounted for the 82 men in the mine at the time. McDade's consensus-building skills may be put to the most severe test this year under the Reagan administration, which has targeted, among other projects, the grant programs his district holds dear. Though his party controls the Senate and White House, McDade probably will find himself at odds with budget-cutters anxious to do away with the Democrat-inspired Urban Development Action Grant Program, for instance, which has helped pay for some of Scranton's revitaliza-tion projects.

"I can't imagine where we'd be today without UDAG," said Jim Dyer, a University of Scranton graduate who is a committee aide to wanna Rar Assnriatinn meet Shaft, Priceburg, on June 18, 1907, there was an explosion which also was fatal to seven workers. On Nov. 3, 1922, at the Eddy Creek Colliery in Olyphant, six workers were killed by a premature explosion and at the Mt. Jessup in Jessup on Dec. 8, 1923, an explosion of gas claimed five lives.

On Mav 27, 1871, there was a breaker fire at West Pittston which caused 20 deaths. But the greatest loss of life in an anthracite region disaster was at the Avondale Mine, Plymouth, on Sept. 6, 1869, when 108 men and boys were suffocated in the mines when He also serves as regional whip, one of the "head counters" reporting to the House minority leadership, and sits on the committee that performs the critical task of assigning members to committees. But the ranking minority member on appropriations is the most powerful Republican on the 54-seat committee and one of the most influential members in the House itself. An ex-officio member of each of the 13 subcommittees, which hold the purse strings on every agency budget from defense to labor, he may vote on any money bill they produce.

McDade serves as leading GOP member on the Interior Subcommittee and also sits on federal government," Hemenway warned, adding: "They must be stopped." And how does the committee know that Nelligan and Coyne will be notorious right-wingers in the House when neither has a voting record yet? "By their positions during the campaign," said Pat Taylor, a member of the committee's staff. "We have a good idea where they stand." And if the realities of congressional politics should change that? "We'll take them off the Payments As with IRAs for employees, the contributions to a Keogh account are deductible on the individual's federal income-tax return and all the earnings on the account are protected from any income tax until withdrawals begin. Information on Keogh Plans, and other tax-saving advantages, can be found in the 1981 edition of ''Cut Your Own Taxes and Save" by Ray De Crane. For your copy, send a check or money order for $1.50 (plus 50 cents postage and handling) to "Cut Your Own Taxes" co The Scranton Times, P.O. Box 489, Radio City Station, New York, Y.

10019. Patrick Walker and John Brennan. It was reported that the heroism of Superintendent Alexander Bryden in a large measure was responsible for the rescue of the many entombed. His son, Andrew, was among those trapped. Superintendent Bryden led a rescue party that reached a point within hailing distance of the entombed men.

He crawled over and under the cave debris, in some places making an opening as he proceeded. Bryden finally reached John Hosie, a foreman, who was exhausted after 60 hours in the cave area. By DAN HAAR Times Washington Bureau WASHINGTON When two of Pennsylvania's new congressmen arrived here last week, they found all the accoutrements of office waiting for them staff assistants, expense accounts, private gvm, hit Hit list? Already? No sooner had James Nelligan of Forty Fort and James Coyne of Newton been sworn in as congressmen Monday than a "progessive" political group pronounced them and dozens of others targeted for defeat in 1982. Russell Hemenway, director of the National Committee JAMES NELLIGAN ft nil, rare nf ihp I aria for an Effective Congress, explained that the two Republicans were too conservative and "have little in common with the constituency they are supposed (B represent." No matter, apparently, that the two had won handily against Democratic incumbents, or that their views seem more in line with the new majority in Congress than the liberal Democrats traditionally favored by the committee. "Conservatives are on the verge of controlling the entire Keogh Plan By RAY De CRANE (Fourth of 14 Parts) Just as employees who are not covered by a pension program may set up their own retirement fund on a tax-sheltered basis, self-employed people have the same type of opportunity under current income-tax laws.

The provisions for self-employed people are even more liberal than they are for employees. Any self-employed person may set aside 15 percent of this net business or profesional income, but not more than $7,500 yearly, in an account called a "Keogh Plan." dent indicated that the affected area spanned about 7 acres. The spot where the roof fell was about 1 mile from the mouth of the mine. About 150 men were at work in the mine some distance away. Only six bodies were recovered of the 15 miners killed.

Another report, listed 14 dead. The list of victims included: Peter Cawley, Henry Moore, Patrick Leonard, rick Clarke, Ebenezer Williams, Michael Toolan, Patrick Mitchell, Anthony Walsh, John Farrell, Mark Brennan, John McGrath, William Clines, Henry Devaney, St. Mary's Center. Seated, from left: Attorney Henry C. McCrath, president; retired Pennsylvania Chief Justice Michael J.

Eagan, who was honored at the meeting, and attorney Ernest J. Cazda immediate past president. Standing, same order: Attorney Virginia I. Sirotnak, executive committee; Joseph A. Murphy, junior director; attorney Ernest J.

Cazda chairman; attorney Harry P. O'Neill senior director; attorney William W. Warreti secretary; attorney James J. Haggerty, second vice president; attorney John A. Morano, first vice president, and attorney Paul D.

Horger, financial secretary. Great Mine Disaster Occurred in Carbondale Jan. 1 2, I entombed 58 miners, none of whom was rescued and their bodies were not recovered. In the number was Michael Lan-gan, then mayor of Pittston. The Twin Shaft was in the Junction section of Pittston.

An explosion of gas in the Fairlawn Mine in Scranton on Aug. 30, 1886, cost six lives. On Sept. 13 that same year at the Marvine eight men were suffocated by gas. At the Von Storch Mine on Oct.

30, 1897, mine fire snuffed out the lives of six workers. On March 2, 1907, at the Holden Mine in Taylor an explosion of gas killed seven and at the Johnson No. 1 over-extended himself in the rescue work, died in 1854. The first big mine disaster in Scranton occurred at the Diamond Mine on March 31, 1868, when 13 mine workers were killed by a falling carriage. On Dec.

9, 1914, an almost similiar accident occurred in which 13 workers were killed. The first disaster was in the old shaft, the second in the Tripp's Slope shaft. The greatest mine disaster in Lackawanna County's history was at the Pancoast Mine in Throop on April 7, 1911, when a mine fire claimed 72 lives. In the Twin Shaft disaster, June 28, 1896, a fall of roof By JOSEPH 0RAVEC Times Staff Writer Although there are not many vestiges of the period when King Coal reigned in the Lackawanna Valley, the history of anthracite is spotted with disaster and tragedy. In fact the first great mine disaster occurred at Carbon-dale 135 years ago.

It was on Jan. 12, 1846, at about 10 a m. that a cave or fall of roof occurred in the Delaware and Hudson Canal Co. Mine Nos. 1 and 2 Drifts.

Approximately 40 miners were at work. The area affected covered 40 acres. Another account of the acci i.