European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - August 13, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse Saturday August 13, 1988 the stars and stripes Page 3 firefighters Battle blazes across West by the associated press a Forest fire fanned by Gusty wind has closed one Road to old faithful Geyser in Yellowstone National Park and firefighters Friday faced dozens of lightning started fires in burning underground in a peat bog in washing ton state bedevilled firefighters and choked a Seattle suburb with and Brush fires also burned in California Mon Tana and Nevada. A grass fire in Utah was contained. In Yellowstone the 36,910-acre North Fork fire jumped across the Road North of old faithful the Gey ser was still accessible from the South. Extra Crews of firefighters were assigned to the Blaze As it moved eastward bringing the Force up to 700 people. The fire has been moving very fast is burning very hot and putting up a Large column of smoke said Park spokeswoman Joan Anzelmo. The column of smoke was Between 35,000 and 40,000 feet High thursday afternoon. About 2,000 firefighters were working on fires that had burned about 196,000 acres of Yellowstone. Flames quieted Down enough on the 34,000-acre Shoshone and red fires in the Park to allow officials to reopen the majority of the approximately 400 spaces at the Grant Village Campground Friday Anzelmo said. A thunderstorm that swept through Idaho thursday dotted the state s forests and Range lands with flame. Estimates of the number of fires jumped from 50 to 75 thursday night As dispatchers received More reports. The Walker Creek fire on the Caribou National for est forced the evacuation of about 16 families from their Homes on Indian Creek South of Inkom in South Eastern Idaho. The 300-acre Blaze was believed contained thursday but wind gusting to 25 Mph pushed the flames Over lines and toward the Homes. Crews in the Challis National Forest in Central Idaho worked to create a Buffer Between the 13,500 acre Battleaxe wilderness fire and a guard station and a private Airstrip about a mile to the South. Smoke from the peat bog fire at Redmond wash., combined with Patchy fog has caused morning com Muter traffic problems and Road closures and the stench has choked residents and Dairy cows. An irrigation sprinkler was used to apply 35,000 Gal Lons of water an hour Cooling the ground so firefighters could walk on it and use hoses to Spray the soldering peat As it was exposed by bulldozers and backhoes. Firefighters in Nevada controlled a lightning caused Blaze after it charred 1,800 acres of Brush with 50-foot High flames in the outskirts of Carson City that forced about 200 people to briefly evacuate their Homes. Crews in Montana worked Friday to Cut fire lines through the Steep Elkhorn mountains to Battle the warm Springs Creek fire. The fire has burned some 2,500 acres m the Helena National Forest about 15 Miles Southeast of Helena and fire information officer Dave Turner said elevations in the fire area ranged from 5,800 feet to 8,500 feet. An out of control fire fuelled by heavy Brush and pushed by Strong erratic wind put More than 1,300 fire fighters to the test in the Sequoia National Forest Early Friday burning More than 2,000 acres officials said. The fire destroyed two Cabins and threatened others in Steep terrain about 35 Miles Northeast of Bakersfield. The Duchess of York Waves As she leaves Portland Hospital with Prince Andrew and their baby daughter. Andrew Sarah leave Hospital with still unnamed Princess London a the Duke and Duchess of York Friday left a Hospital with their Newborn daughter the Princess of York. As the proud parents waved to hundreds of Well wishers the newest member of Britain s Royal family slept. The baby still unnamed was swaddled in a White Blanket for her first Public appearance broadcast live on British television. Born monday night weighing 6 pounds 12 ounces she is the first child for Prince Andrew the second oldest son of Queen Elizabeth ii and his wife Sarah. The new Princess is fifth in line to the throne. The Duke and Duchess both 28, waved to the crowd As they left Central London s Portland Hospi Tal at 12 37 p.m., taking the Princess to an Undis closed location. A Palace spokesman speaking anonymously in keeping with British custom said the Duchess was feeling Fine. Andrew told reporters he hoped he would suffer Only a few sleepless nights because of the baby. He is scheduled to return to his Royal Navy duties in the far East next week. Asked about his feelings for his daughter he said i am it s not unusual for Royal parents to take several Days to select appropriate names for their babies. The names must be approved by the Queen who is currently vacationing in Scotland. British bookmakers and newspapers say Likely choices include Charlotte or Victoria although an Drew was quoted As saying in May that he favored Annabel. Before arriving at the Hospital Andrew attended a Post office ceremony to unveil a set of postage Stamps based on his photographs of famous castles. The Stamps ranging in value from $1.70 to $8.50 Are the first designed by a member of Britain s Royal family. They show Windsor Edinburgh Caernarvon and Carrickfergus castles one for each country of the United kingdom. All have Strong Royal connections. Andrew an accomplished Amateur photographer thanked the Post office for having the guts to invite him to take the photographs. Bush s version of plane s Downing disputed new York a a Man who says he witnessed the Downing of George Bush s Navy bomber during world War ii has challenged the vice president s Contention that the aircraft was on fire when he bailed out leaving behind two Crew members who were presumed dead the new York Post reported Friday. Chester Mierzejewski 68, of Cheshire conn., said in interviews with the Post that the plane was not engulfed in flames As Bush has claimed and that Bush could have made a water Landing and possibly saved the lives of the women. I think he Bush could have saved Elrose lives if they were alive Mierzejewski told the newspaper. I Don t know that they were but at least they had a Chance if he had attempted a water Bush has referred to the sept. 2, 1944, Downing in the presidential Campaign this year and described it in detail in interviews and in his autobiography. Describing the scene in his Book Bush wrote that his aircraft was hit on a diving run to bomb a japanese radio installation in the South Pacific s Bonin islands. Smoke poured into the cockpit and i could see flames rippling across the crease of the Wing edging toward the fuel tanks Bush wrote. He said he finished dropping the bombs and then losing control of his plane ejected Over the Ocean after Radi oing his gunner and radioman to jump and getting no response. In a television interview aired last de Cember Bush described the ordeal As about As close As you get to plane was in smoke and the wings were burning he said. Mierzejewski who was the Turret gun Ner in the Tail of Squadron commander Douglas Melvin s plane which led the tight formation bombing raid disagreed. He said he was about 100 feet ahead of Bush s plane and saw Only a puff of smoke which quickly dissipated. There was no More smoke he said and he insists Bush s plane was never on fire and that no smoke came out of his cockpit when he opened his canopy to bail the intelligence report on the loss of Bush s plane reports that smoke and flame engulfed Bush s engine according to the Post. The report was signed by Melvin and an intelligence officer now deceased. Squadron members interviewed by the Post disagreed about whether Mierzejewski would have had the bes line of sight on Bush s plane and Mierzejewski was the Only one to claim he saw the plane said that after Bush was rescued and returned to their aircraft Carrier 30 Days later Bush approached Mierzejewski and he said ski i m sure those two men were dead. I called them on the radio three times. They were dead he seemed distraught. He was trying to assure me he did the Best he could. I m thinking what am i going to say to him i have to give him the Benefit or the said he wrote Bush this March to Tell him his Public descriptions were entirely different from my recall of the incident but did not hear Back from the vice Hart Bush s press Secretary told the Post thursday that Bush has told us time and time again what happened that Day. To suggest that his account is inac curate is
