| Show 4-- Herald Journal The Logan Utah Sunday October 20 1985 Agent ties Oneida Station hydro plant officially resumes operation neo-Na- zi to slaying By Robert AAerril I Franklin Co staff writer SEATTLE (UPI- )- A federal agent Friday linked Bruce Carroll Pierce to the slaying of Denver talk show host Alan Berg by testifying cartridges from the murder weapon matched those found at the suspect’s rental home in Montana FBI firearms expert Robert Murphy told jurors cartridges recovered at the murder scene and at Pierce’s home in Troy Mont had the same markings indicating all were fired from the silencer attached to the submachine gun used to kill Berg outside his townhouse on added But in April the Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued UP4L a citation alleging company error was involved in the accident OSHA alleged in its citation that air was not bled from a Johnson Valve During startup procedures according to its report when water was allowed into the plant again the trapped air caused the valve to operate erratically OSHA fined the company neo-Na- zi June 18 ONEIDA STATION Franklin County Idaho Light Company’s Oneida Station hydropower plant located 15 miles northeast of Preston “officially” resumed operation Friday after being idled for over 10 months because of a fatal accident that severely damaged the facility “We’re finally back on line at the Oneida Plant” said John Serfustini a spokesman for d the Salt Lake utility at a noon press conference at the plant “It’s taken us quite some time and an estimated $18 million worth of reconstruction and repair work to get the plant back on line We’re pleased to be operating again” he said (The plant actually went into operation earlier this week officials said) On Dec 5 1984 following a routine three-wee- k maintenance shutdown a diameter penstock that controls water flow into the plant from Oneida Reservoir burst The resulting rush of millions of gallons of water under high pressure tore a corner from the plant’s northeast side destroyed a plant maintenance building and washed five UP&L workers into the icy Bear River Serfustini called it the worst accident in UP&L’s history Killed in the accident were Don Phippen Preston Eugene D Groesbeck Riverdale Larry Rindlisbacker Oneida Station and Kevin Danzer Salt Lake City A steel flowline funnels water from Oneida Reservoir to a surge tank located just above the plant Water is taken from the surge tank through three penstocks and Johnson Valves into three turbines tt which drive three generators A faulty weld made 36 years ago in one of the penstocks was pinpointed as the cause of the accident according to Serfustini “The faulty weld was discovered in penstock No 3 by y analysis during a company investigation launched immediately after the accident And results of the investigation ruled out operator error” he — Utah 1984 Murphy said the gun which was converted into a fully automatic weapon capable of firing 950 rounds a minute was the firearm used to spray 12 bullets into Berg Pierce is one of 10 members of The Order facing federal racketeering charges for “The wording of the OSHA citation clears our company from negligently sending workers into a hazardous working condition The very minimal fine is an indication that OSHA doesn’t feel we were grossly negligent We feel employees at the plant the night of the accident were fully trained in its operation and were following standard procedures But they were not in standard operating conditions because of the plant shutdown” Serfustini said Friday A pocket of air became trapped in one of the three Johnson Valves that controls the flowline from water flow from a V4 mile-lon-g the reservoir to the plant The trapped air caused the valve to open and slim shut suddenly several times The hydraulic effect of water surging through the flowline (water hammer) created tremendous pressure and blew the penstock apart at a faulty weld located at the northeast corner of the plant If the weld had been good the penstock should have withstood the pressure” he explained Operating procedures have been developed according to Serfustini for Oneida’s plant to make sure air is bled from Johnson Valves during similar startup procedures Oneida is the utility's only plant that has Johnson Valves “We have done everything possible to prevent this kind of accident from happening again” he said Reconstruction work is still in progress at the plant A new maintenance shed is currently being built on the south end of the plant Workers are still testing one of the plant’s three generators and some additional work on it will be done Road work around the plant and landscaping will be done as weather permits he added half-mile-lo- ng 15000-horsepow- er 10000-kilowa- X-ra- UPdiL's Oneida Station hydropower plant officially resumed operation Friday after being idle for over 10 months Jury to begin deliberations in Gardner case VOfeather - I BOSTON NEW YORK SALT LAKE CITY (UPI) The jury in the Ronnie Lee Gardner murder case will begin deliberating a verdict Monday following closing arguments from attorneys and instructions from 3rd Distict Judge Jay Banks Both sides rested Friday following murder suspect Ronnie Lee Gardner’s trial testimony he could remember shooting bailiff Nick Kirk but not killing attorney Michael Burdell during a courthouse escape attempt Testifying in his defense Gardner said he hoped to escape from prison guards April 2 before a pre-trihearing appearance because he felt it would never get out of prison again Defense attorney Andrew Valdez asked Gardner if he remembered wounding Kirk “Yes I do” he said “Do you remember shooting Mike Burdell?” Valdez asked “No I don’t” Gardner replied al ' r: jSHOWEM isw° FLOW UPI WEATHER FOTOCAST Forecasts Salt Lake City Ogden and Provo: Fair to partly cloudy Sunday with breezy Veterans of the Korean and Vietnamese wars from are requested to submit wallet-siz- e photos of themselves in uniform and including name and rank in an Richmond Logan: Fair to partly cloudy Sunday with breezy southerly winds increasing cloudiness Sunday night with a slight chance of showers mostly cloudy and cooler Monday with scattered showers and a few thunderstorms highs Sunday in the upper 60s and Monday in the lower 60s lows tonight in the upper 30v effort to help a Boy Scout’s permanent display in the Richmond City Library Scout Anthony Larson son of Mr and Mrs Larry Larson Richmond is using his Eagle Scout project “to honor” the veterans of those wars If you were a veteran of both wars submit two photos The display will be in the basement of the library Send photos by Oct 30 to Anthony Larson Box 514 Richmond Utah 84333 Photos may also be delivered to 60 North 200 East in Richmon All current residents or former residents are eligible Utah: Fair Sunday with breezy southerly winds in the southwest valleys increasing doudineu Sunday night with scattered showers and a few thunderstorms developing from the northwest by early Monday gusty shifting winds Monday highs Sunday from the upper 60s through the 70s and Monday from the 60s in the north into the mid 70s in the south lows Sunday night mostly from the upper 30s into the mid 40s Increasing But after Gardner's testimony prosecutor Robert Stott called Wayne Jorgensen from the prison's Young Adult Offender Program to testify on a conversation about the shootout he had with the inmate at the University of Utah Hospital “I asked him why he shot the attorney" said Jorgensen “He said he didn’t know it was an attorney He made the statement he’d kill anyone who’d stop him or get in his way" Gardner’s attorneys recalled him to the witness stand snd he denied he made the statement to Jorgensen Gardner — in prison for murder escape attempted escape burglary robbery aggravated assault — is on e trial on charges of murder attempted murder and kidnapping Gardner 24 often replied to Stott’s questions that he couldn't remember or was in a daze at the time Gardner was being taken into the court first-degr- ee first-degre- building for a pre-trihearing in an unrelated 1984 murder charge when acan accomplice cording to prosecutors slipped him a handgun Gardner was then wounded by a guard before he could flee up a flight of stairs to the building’s second floor On his way police say he shot Burdell and Kirk On the second floor Gardner came upon a man filling candy vending machines He briefly held the man at gunpoint but the hostage escaped when Gardner walked through an exit Officers recaptured Gardner without further resistance outside the Hall of al Justice Last summer Gardner pleaded guilty to the October 1984 murder of a Salt Lake City bartender He has been sentenced to life in prison on his guilty plea If convicted of capital murder in Burdell's death Gardner could be sentenced to death About Cache southerly afternoon winds increasing cloudiness Sunday night with a slight chance of showers cloudy Monday with gusty shifting winds and a chance of showers highs Sunday In the lower 70s and Monday OS to 79 lows Sunday night 45 to 50 probability of measurable precipitation leu than 30 percent Sunday night increasing to 30 percent Monday Idaho: $420 12-fo- ot 18 1984 Southeast & City-base- The government introduced as evidence the Mac-1- 0 submachine gun silencer and other related equipment confiscated from the home of defendant Gary Lee Yarborough on Oct allegedly conspiring to overthrow the US government and eliminate Jews minorities and liberals and others they considered “white traitors” The defendants are charged with crimes ranging from taking more than $4 million in armored car robberies to murder including that of Berg an acerbic Jewish radio personality who frequently baited right-win- g callers They also are charged with the execution of a fellow white supremacist Power high doudineu Sunday cloudy Sunday night and Monday with occasional rain and the snow level lowering to between 5000 and 6000 feet Monday highs Sunday from the 60s into the lower 70s and Monday from the mid 50s into the lower 60s lows Sunday night from the mid 90s into the lower 40s GET BIG INVESTOR RiUES FOR A SMAU IHVESTK1EJT PRIME RO CERTinCATE A minimum deposit of $1000 in a Sancfia high mcuket Merest Available Primero Certificate account wN earn you months to five year certificates In six The LDS Women Writers Guild will meet Thursday at 7 pm in the Logan Library Ideas will be presented on how Cache Valley original writings can be used to make a variety of Christmas gifts and other holiday items All area women are invited A childbirth class for wives of international students will begin Wednesday at 9:30 am at the Utah State University Extension Center For more information call the extension 5 campus field office 750-327- Disney film too racy for board - LESLIE Mich (UPI) Walt Disney would blush at the thought that "Return to Oz” is too racy to be shown in a Leslie elementary school because of its PG rating The Disney film “Return to Oz" and "Beverly Hills Cop" were among films to be shown by the Ingham County Library during its fall schedule But the to cancel its films because it could not comply with a school board recommendation that only movies be shown The Rev Nick Crow of the Bible Baptist Church vho lee’ the campaign against PG arc it movies tola the Lansmc state Journal he would nut object to another site for the iints of free films library-decide- The Cache Valley Chapter of the Utah Alliance for the Mentally 111 will meet Wednesday The group will be traveling to Brigham City and will join the Box Elder Chapter AMI for a po luck dinner Anyone interested should meet at the Bear Mental Health Center 90 Fa-- t 200 North at 6 pm For nivre information call Carol Groelv Ki-e- r 752-075- 0 David Andersen the son of Faye and Loyal Andersen will report k:s mission in Finland today c‘ 11 am in the Smithfield Gth LDS Ward i |
