Page 14 (continued from PAGE ONE) The group, which included re- presentatives from ABC radio, Business Week, Newsweek, Fairchild Publications, Wash- ington Star, Seventeen, New York Daily News, and the Asso- ciated Press, and a few mem- bers of the local press were escorted to the edge of the air field where five Army heli- copters stood waiting, and the tour began, a tour which would end eight hours later among echoes of a verbal disagree- ment between Secretary Rom- ney and Gov. Shapp. The open helicopter ride was quite an experience for some- one who had never been off the ground before. I found myself seated on the edge of the machine, held back only by a strap fastening at my waist. It was a fascinating trip...the ground seemed close and signs were clearly visible, easy to read. The areas which had been flooded were defined by the mud now dried to a shade of yellowish-tan, which had been left on lawns, fields, and roof- - tops. Mounds of wood and plaster were piled in front of homes, schools, factories and other places of business. But the extent of devastation did not show...buildings which I knew were damaged beyond repair, and others which were gutted of everything but outside walls, appeared only muddied when viewed from the air. After talking briefly later with some of the visiting media, I found that they too felt there Dallas Fire and was not much they could see from the air. After landing, we joined a caravan of automobiles driven by concerned businessmen of the area, who, led by a State Policeman, also in a green and white patrol ear, took us on a ground tour of the flood-stricken area. Our first stop was at Colonial Park in Wyoming where we were shown through a two-story home, typical of many others in that residential area. The muddy water line appeared on and the homeowner had already torn out plaster and hardwood flooring. The interior -of the home reminded me of a new home under construction, ex- cept that traces of the ever-pre- sent mud were everywhere. There were no inside partitions, only studs and rafters and the stairway remained, and the electrical fixtures had been removed. Surrounding all the homes, where there had been well-kept lawns and neat flower beds, the grass had grown tall and was still caked with dried mud. We drove through the streets of Swoyersville where water still lay in small pools. A few of the homes had suffered destruc- tion from both water and fire. In Kingston, we visited an area where I had not been before the flood—North Gates Avenue at Butler, James and Tioga Streets, which runs parallel to the Wilkes-Barre Connecting Railroad. Behind Ambulance The fund drive which began June 1 for the Dallas fire and ambulance organizations has been temporarily stalled. The two volunteer groups, after a very busy summer, are settling down to a regular training and All of their regular expenses con- finue. The volunteers strive to offer total emergency service and protection, and need the support of the community. ~ According to an officer, atthe present time approximately 35 percent return has been realized from the fund drive. Officials of the volunteer organizations urge residents to support the 1972 drive as well as they can. This includes new residents who have moved recently into the municipalities of Dallas Borough and Dallas Township. Mail donations to: Post Office Box 41, Dallas, 18612. Reminder letters will be mailed Sept. 1 to residents who date. f= Let us help you get the out of the money you have. NEW LISTINGS DALLAS planned home, stone foyer, spacious living room!with corner fireplace, full dining room, den, eat-in kitchen, three large bedrooms, two car garage, greenhouse. Call Tess Pryor 696- 2332 | Prime location, private setting, beautifully landscaped, well — SHAVERTOWN $31,900 Colonial 2 story home in maticulous condition. Large livingroom with fireplace, bright dining room, eat-in kitchen, recreation room, 3 spacious bedrooms, garage, beautiful setting, well landscaped corner lot. Call Tess Pryor 696-2332 BACK MOUNTAIN Beautiful hilltop view, livingroom with fireplace, diningroom, large kitchen, 4 bedrooms, 2 baths, recreation room, garage. Call Tess Pryor 696-2332 KINGSTON $34,000 Charming Colonial home. Move-in condition, spacious throughout pleasant foyer, large livingroom with fireplace, $38.000 696-2332 SWEET VALLEY NORTH LAKE $17,900 All year round living provided in this cape cod home, large livingroom, full diningroom, modern kitchen, 3 bedrooms, 1 block away from water. Call Tess Pryor 696-2332 ——————— HARVEYS LAKE $8,500 Immediate occupancy, completely furnished cozy four room home, large lot. Call Tess Pryor 696-2332 DALLAS DUPLEX $18,500 Two story aluminum siding, two bedroom apartment modern kitchen and bath, total electric heat, large corner lot, Realtor and Associates 341 WYO. AVE. KINGSTON 288-8441 $9 £25 fan i i i i S- | i ie i these homes, the’ tracks run along a wall of earth which some of us had at first mistaken for a dike. It seemed impossible that the river could have topped that also. According to residents on that street, the water did not come over the top; but came up from the railroad overpass in huge waves, filling in the area with water as high as 27 feet. Two- story homes had been inundated up to the eaves by flood water, which lapped up over the roof- tops on others. Some of the dwellings were damaged beyond repair, all were covered with mud, except for one home which gleamed white, either after a thorough scrubbing or fresh paint. The windows sparkled in the bright sun, reflecting rays of hope and determination while nearby their neighbors’ homes stood deserted and muddy. We stopped at 451 N. Gates Ave., the home of Robert Patton, a vice president at Wyoming National Bank of Wilkes-Barre. His home remains as he found it when the flood waters receded. It is broken and twisted, the right half of the dwelling collapsed. Furniture had been tossed and scattered about, overturned— and everything covered with mud, now dried and cracked. Mr. Patton’s story, very much the same as most of those in his neighborhood, is told in an accompanying article. We had lunch at umbrella covered tables behind Me- Donald’s Restaurant on River Road, Wilkes-Barre. We ques- tioned a few of the reporters from national magazines. When asked for their reaction to what they had seen so far, they agreed that although the heli- copter ride had given them a look at the vast area which had been inundated by the flood, they were unprepared for what they had seen on the ground...- total devastation everywhere. ...And some of the worst was yet to come. We went to River- side Drive, Wilkes-Barre, where our visit was cut short because Ed Newman, . NBC newsman, was taping a televi- sion show, and we were in the way in the camera range. (The show, ‘Comment’, was shown on Channel 28 Sunday evening.) But we had time to take in the terrible destruction caused when the dike gave way and the river broke through. The stately homes had been hit with such force, they were toppled like toy houses. Their appearance was grotesque as they tilted at in- credible angles, some still anchored to their foundations which had been ripped from the ground, huge crevasses separating them from land which had been their well-kept lawns. The heavy turf now lay like large carpets draped over the edges of the cracks. One could almost imagine a giant of mighty proportions lifting the buildings from the ground and then carelessly dropping them back. Our last stop was at Wilkes College. It was heartening to see walls at Stark Hall already covered with new paint. Stu- dents and workmen were every- where. The new Eugene S. Farley college library lent a depressing note, still in the process of being cleaned. The basement and first floor, both of which had been handsomely furnished and carpeted, had been flooded. The loss of books alone amounted to over $500,000. A wall in the basement had been taken down to make way for a payloader which scooped up the volumes sodden with water and mud. The Dorothy Dickson Darte Center for the Performing Arts had not escaped destruction. The valuable carpeting on the first floor had been ruined and the stage had been inundated by water along with the first eight rows of seats. The soundproof walls of the music rooms were badly damaged and the two concert pianos were a total loss. In the band room, where 20 feet of water had been, workers were taking down soundproof walls. But the school was on its way back. Not waiting for funds to work with, ‘‘Operation Snap- back’ had been put into effect immediately following the flood and students, faculty, office staff workers, and admin- istrators had dug in to put the 72 A A Ey RF OVER 652 HOMECARE WILL 4 PROCESS YOUR MEDICARE 8 RAO, ABH Rear 131 South :/ Washington St, Wilkes-Bar AAA AR Ante college back on its feet. Back at the airport, departure time for the visiting newsmen was near, but there was still time to cover the press confer- ence with Secretary Romney, former Gov. William Scranton and Judge Max Rosen. The room was crowded with reporters, television cameras, and radio equipment. Secretary Romney made a statement con- cerning the destruction left by Tropical Storm Agnes and the thousands of people left home- less and jobless, far more than “all of the 16 other major natural disasters since 1968.” He said, ‘The greater Wilkes- Barre-Luzerne County Area of Pennsylvania has suffered the greatest natural disaster of any community in our jpation S history.” He went on to tell of the large percentage of families which have already been provided housing units, ‘‘50 percent more in six weeks than were provided in Hurricanes Camille and Celia in six months. ‘Still needed,” he added, ‘‘is an even greater all-out effort by government at all levels, the business and private interests, and all area residents including those left homeless by the flood, those already assisted with temporary housing, and those fortunate enough to have had little or no damage to their homes or business locations. With such popular deter- mination, I am convinced that all families that are now known to be without housing can and must have winterized housing units provided not later than the end of September.” He concluded: his statement by adding that the job of major and minor housing repair is tre- mendous. He also stated that “Politics at every level must be laid aside,” and that ‘‘Cooper- ation at all levels, is essent- jal.» ; A period followed in which re- porters asked questions of the secretary. When a reporter re- ferred to the heated words which he had exchanged with Gov. Shapp at an earlier press conference, the secretary became angry and said that it was unrealistic for the federal government to offer home- owners and businesses re- storation for complete equity losses. He accused the governor of making political talk and building up false @xpectations for unlimited fun) He charged the ‘news media with doing dis-service to the people of Wyoming Valley if they made an issue out of the disagreement and said that he and the governor ‘had agreed on many things.” ‘Shortly after the session was closed, and visiting newsmen were on their way home, to tell their readers and listeners what they had seen and felt, and to let them see for themselves what had to be done for the flood- stricken valley. names - wo _ —— . per- MISS | i re RESIDENCE NO. AND STREET | WIFE'S FIRST NAME & INITIAL | How Tiong | OWN | PHONE | 5 | i RENT | a» t t % i ¥ TOWN ZIP CODE EMPLOYER POSITION ADDRESS # SIGNATURE 229 si b Lackawana Ave. I | ae A sal erin ra a Ce tc te, nd Am ANB on or A NC UB OA A NT NA OL CE TD be be he ON Re PAA MS et AA AY em
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers