European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - September 03, 1977, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Saturday september 3, 1977 the stars and stripes Page 9 or. Gerd Rupprecht stands on Hillside near ruins of a roman Villa in bad Kreuz Nach. Rupprecht said the extensive excavation should be completed. Is photo by Olson one of largest Villas found shrewd expert keeps Bod k. Dig by Rick Maze staff writer bad Kreuz Nach Germany is three years Worth of hard work a bit of politicking and several shrewd deals Are keeping the excavation going Here on what is thought to be the ruins of one the largest roman Villas in Germany. Work on the Villa estimated to be 16,000square feet started in april 1975 and should finish by 1980, officials . Herman Bullinger director of the Karl Geib museum and head of the Small staff working on the Villa said that when the excavation started Public sentiment was not with the diggers. Bullinger said it was a question of Priori ties for the Community which had heard rumours that Bullinger and his staff planned to remove a Road apartment building and several houses to get at the ruins. The residents did t like the idea he said adding that the general feeling was that history was t Worth the destruction of property. He said those rumours were partially True that he d like to see the ruins hidden beneath these structures but he has no formal plans along that line. Bullinger s philosophy of the project Fol lows the adage you scratch my Back and i la scratch yours he said. He invites Cit officials to bring their important visitors to the site thus keeping the City Happy he said. Bullinger asked several wine producers from Mainz to visit the excavation and fed them food donated by local restaurant owners. He said the next time someone visits the site they probably will be served wine from Mainz. As Early As 1893, City officials knew of the Villa s existence As a mosaic known As the Gladiator was discovered during the construction of a farm House. That House still stands although it is unused. Bulling or and his assistant or. Gerd Rupprecht of Frankfurt both said they d like to get per Mission to tear the old building  mosaic known As the oceanus and what is thought to be the bulk of Thevilla was found in 1966 during the construction of an irrigation system prompting further excavation of the site Rupprecht  work is funded by the West German research foundation the bad Kreuz Nach municipal authority and the local Germa labor office. The labor office provides about a dozen workers who do the actual digging. With Aid of . Army engineers fro the 8th engr in Here the workers Are slowly carrying away the Mountainside which eroded atop the  location of the Villa against the Hill Side is one of the reasons it is so Well pre served Bullinger said. Through time the Mountain slowly Slid onto the Villa virtually preserving it As it was. The Walls Are i Good shape the Kitchen was still filled with animal Bones and pottery. A subterranean Channel which provided the residents with fresh water a sewage system and Centra heating is considered the Best preserved in the  army engineers Are one of their big Gest benefits Bullinger added saving them much time. Using bulldozers the engineers carefully scrape off about 10 feet of topsoil leaving Only a few feet of dirt to be shovelled by hand off the  american housewives have spent their afternoons helping in the excavation Bullinger said although sometime the volunteers Aren t wanted. We must carefully supervise All the work to Safe guard the ruins. With too Many people dig Ging we spend too much time supervising and no time getting anything done he said. They have recently found the pieces of another mosaic but have yet to fit it to Gether. The pieces will be sent to a Institute in Trier where exhaustive restoration will be done Rupprecht said. The first two mosaics Are on display in the City museum. Work on the site can Only go on six months a year Bullinger said. During the Winter the Walls Are covered by Straw fact that bothered Many local Farmers last Winter he said. Bullinger who said he rather not mention the Deal he made for the Straw explained there was a Straw shortage last Winter and the Farmers weren t too Happy that several tons of the scare item were used to protect the Villa. Bullinger said they have made arrange ments to excavate in family gardens across the Street from the main excavation site but not All the homeowners have agreed. Still unknown parts of the ruin lie under Neath a nine Story High Rise other parts beneath single family dwellings roads an gardens. There is still much unknown about Thevilla. Rupprecht said they feel very few people lived in the Large building. It was probably owned by a very wealthy Man and his family and servants were the Only occupants he said adding they Don t know How the owner got his  Villa was probably constructed about 300 and and destroyed by fire an vandals 200 years later Rupprecht said. He added he is fairly certain the Villa had been vacant for Many years before it was  said he plans to earn Money for the project by Selling wine from a win Celler they have uncovered and plan to re construct. He added that he Hopes Roma festivals and other events will keep the Public looking favourably on the project. The fatal snakes and mushrooms by Barbara Cullen staff writer certain varieties of mushrooms berries and snakes in Germany All have one thing in common they re poisonous. The mushrooms and berries cause prob lems in september and october when they Ripen. The Snake can bite at any  this year 34 soldiers have been admitted to Nurnberg s 130th general Hosp for treatment of Snake bite. All 34 of the soldiers were bitten in the hand As they played with what the thought was a harmless Garden Snake. The prime spot for coming in Contact with a poisonous Snake is grafenw3hr, one of the army s main training  to or. Werner Schreiber the Nurnberg Hospital s expert on poisonous snakes berries and mushrooms says the Snake is shy will run away and does t crawl in Trees and  is Only one poisonous species of Snake in Germany and he can t bit through shoe leather the doctor said. He added that combat boots offer a Soldier the Best Protection against being  Snake called a Kre Zotter is usually about two feet in length Brownish in color with a typical dark Zigzag line from the head to the  said vipers can still bite even up to 20 minutes after being killed even i the head is severed from the body. Treatment for Snake bite includes using a Tourniquet applying a disinfectant and securing  alcohol and making an Inci Sion howver Are to be avoided Schreibe said. The doctor said alcohol can lower the blood pressure and cause a patient to go into Shock and an incision could Lead to an infection or if done improperly Cut Liga ments and tendons. The poisonous berries Atropa Belladonna deadly nightshade Are bluish Black when Ripe and grow All Over Germany. Eating 10 to 20 May be fatal if untreated said Schreiber. He said symptoms of intoxication Are described As red As a beet dryas a Bone hot As a Hare and Blind As a  Potency has been known for centuries. These Are the berries Shakespeare wrote about in his play Hamlet when the King of Denmark was killed by his brother who poured a liquid concoction made from the berries into the sleeping King sear. The poisonous mushrooms Are . Their Poison is so Strong that for some the eating of half a mushroom can cause death. According to or. Schreiber there is no simple test for distinguishing the edible species of mushrooms for the poisonous ones. And cooking or dehydration do not detroy the toxins. First Aid for treatment for poisonous Ber Ries and mushrooms includes inducing vomiting and getting to a Hospital