European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - August 6, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Saturday augusts 1988 the stars and stripes Page 9 is. Dave Didio staff sgt. George Lewis carrying Eric and with an Arm around Scott and his wife Kathleen look at the Hole in the ground where their rented Home once stood. Home was where Hole is for of family by Deedee Arrington Dok Kaiserslautern Bureau the first clue that something Odd might have been going on within the Walls of the 104-year-old House was the soft whoosh of cascading Sand George Lewis could hear at night. But the slight evidence on hand did t prepare Theair Force staff sergeant for the Telephone message he received at a Friend s Home on a saturday afternoon your House just fell into  Lewis his wife Kathleen and their sons Scott 9, and Eric 4, had lived in the Home in Dansenburg about 15 minutes from Ramstein a less than a month. He d rented the House shortly before his fam ily arrived on the july 4 weekend and had chosen it because it was close to Ramstein. I loved the area and i thought the House was  the House s collapse was the latest in a string of problems for the lewites. Just a week before a pay mix up led to Lewis receiving a $1 paycheck from the air Force to last a two week period. It was All kind of a big letdown you know i Felt like is this what i m in for the rest of the time " Kathleen Lewis said. The july 23 Call informing the family of its most recent misfortune reached them at the Ramstein Vil Lage Home of George Lewis co worker air Force staff sgt. Bob Roche. When George took the Call he was relaxing on the Couch recalled Cathy Roche Bob s wife. Then he sat up straight and his eyes got big. When he Hung up he jumped Over the Coffee table and said the House has caved in " leaving their boys at the Roche George an Kathleen raced Back to Dansenburg to Survey the damage and find out exactly what had happened i their Brief absence. According to neighbors accounts one Wall on the two Story Stone House had collapsed within 45 minutes of the lewites Depar Ture that afternoon. In the upstairs portion of the House the Wall had come apart in the master bedroom and onto Thel wises bed. Downstairs the most visible sign of damage was a Large crack in the Wall. I d worked All night and technically i should have been sleeping when it happened George Lewis recalled. But Kathy had wanted to get out for a while so we went Over to visit our  As onlookers gaped the lewites moved their Bor rowed air Force Issue furniture their clothing and their new to out of the remains of their Home As quickly As possible before More Walls could come a Tum bang Down. While the Day wore into evening rain began to pour but German neighbors supplied sandwiches and beverages. The neighbourhood took on the festive air of a Block party. You could t find nicer people Kathleen said. George s supervisor at the 377th Security police so gave him and Roche the night off from work to handle emergency details. Housing Supply officials immediately granted permission to store the Bor rowed furniture in a warehouse. Co workers volunteered to help move. Cathy Roche invited the lewites to move in with her family until they could find new lodgings. The House in Dansenburg soon was demolished completely. In the aftermath of the collapse Lewis realized that the nocturnal swoosh ing noises and a loud bang he d heard one night had signalled the beginning of the end of the rental Home. The Sandy sound we heard was the mortar be tween the rocks deteriorating he said. It was a flaw in construction the House had been inspected in april by  referral authorities when the owner first offered it for rent to americans. But the inspection did not reveal the progressive deterioration. David k. Anderson housing director for the Kaiserslautern military Community noted that inspectors Check the general condition of housing units. They Are not trained structural engineers and if there Are no visible signs of a defect there would Beno Way for them to notice a problem or  Lewis believes the House s former tenants also had no idea that the aging Structure was about to fall apart. The House previously was occupied by Ger mans who moved because of a Job Transfer. Their former lodgings reduced to rubble life inthe Lewis household is on an upswing. They moved wednesday into a new Home even closer to work and the confusion in the family s finances has been straightened out. Disaster strikes and everyone was right there to help you out. That makes you feel real Good Kath Leen Lewis said