European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - September 20, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Wednesday. September 20. 1989 the stars and stripes Page 5 Cheney stands by Iowa findings Navy to probe shipboard Gunpowder test Washington f a l defense Sec clan dil Cheney said monday he has no reason to question i i Navy s finding that an implosion aboard the battleship Iowa most had was caused by gunner s mate 2ndclassclayion Han wig i do think it s i Minnant to Point out thai the information or the evidence that s available is  Cheney said Well never know with absolute certainty exactly what transpired because of the nature of the incident  Cheney s comments came As the Navy said its in Spector general plans to conduct an investigation into unauthorised Gunpowder experiments that had. Been conducted aboard the ship. Hut the Navy insisted As it did when the report was issued that such a thing had been ruled out As a Caus of the blast that killed 47 sailors on april 19 when the no. 2 Turret exploded earlier this month in a lengthy report the Nav said the blast apparently was caused by the insertion of some Type of a detonating device Between bags of gun powder and that the most Likely person to have done so was Hartwig. The gun Captain at the Lime of the explosion. Since All those who had witnessed the explosion died the Nav said it would never know for sure Luil had happened or we. Navy officials also said at the time they had ruled out am technical reason for the blast after conducting some 50,000 tests on the Gunpowder and guns used aboard the ship. I think the Nav. Did the Best Job they could under the circumstances on the Iowa. I think the investigation. Was a Good  Cheney said. As for the Section of the report that deals with Hart wig. Cheney said the investigating officer is required under Navy regulations to produce his Best conclusion As to what happened. That s what he s  Cheney said of the investigator. Rear adm. Richard Milligan. I Don t have any reason to question  Cheney was queried about the report at a press con Ference on the Pentagon s drug fighting policies. Meanwhile the Navy confirmed monday that an improper explosives Experiment took place aboard the Iowa but said it did not cause the blast. On sunday. Media general newspapers reported that the Iowa was used As a floating Laboratory for High explosive experiments the report said an improper amount of pow Der was combined with the Cav isl Weiglin Type of projectile inserted in the gun  the Navy did not identify the individual that had set up the experiments the Media Genera report said master chief . Skully who was above the deck during the blast had been working on the experiments with Navy researchers at the naval sea systems come. Navy spokesman or nor. Craig Quigley noted that Milligan had included information about the Una Tho ried tests in his report and had mentioned the unauthorised use of five bags instead of six bags of powder in the no. 2 gun Turret which  improper loading configuration did not cause nor did it contribute to the explosion Quigley  for the  the report also notes that  Moosally. The ship s Captain had approved the use of reduced charge loads but that he thought that meant six 55-Pound bags of powder instead of the larger bags of around 90 1id pounds. Moosally did not have the authority to approve such tests. Quigley said. The report called for the Navy s inspector general Solook into the unauthorized tests and rear adm. Ming Chang plans to do so. Quigley said. President gets a Wagon ride president Bush auls to a Sioux Falls crowd As he gets a ride on a horse drawn us Jon during a visit to South Dakota in Honor of the stale s 100th birthday. The Driver of thew on a not identified. Actor says pal Board was just rubber stamp Charlotte. . A actor Efrem Zim Haisl or. Testified monday that the i to Board of directors on which hence served was just a rubber stamp for television evangelist Jim Bakker. It was called a Board of directors butt no time did it operate like  said Zimbalist. Who served on the Board from1981 to 1986. It was a Board of approval or affirmation  Zimbalist testifying at Bakker s trial on fraud and conspiracy charges said the Board was not informed of financial problems at its meetings. Bakker is accused of diverting More than $3.7 million in i to Money to pay for personal luxuries. If found guilty of the 24 counts against him. He could be sentenced to 120 years in prison and fined More than $5 million. Zimbalist said Bakker asked him to be on pal s Board after the actor appeared on Bakker s television show. I told him i was not in a position to fulfil the duties of a Board member Zimbalist testified. I lived in California and worked there and i Felt i could not be involved in i to s  lie said Bakker s response was thai s no  asked if he would have approved bonuses had he known about the financial condition of the ministry Zim Haisl said i the inc i would have left the Board at that Point if that were the  after the actor testified two government investigators presented evidence that Bak scr s bonuses including a $390.000 pay ment in March 1984 were drawn from accounts set up to receive the i to s part 10 Hurt As Boston swimming Pool roof collapses Boston a a roof collapsed without warning into a Myca swimming Pool where a swimming class was being con ducted monday injuring nine children and a lifeguard police said. Parents were watching the swimming class when Cement chunks and beams fell into the water in the shallow end of the Pool at Wes Roxbury Roslindale Myca. We were looking through a picture window Down the other end and then the whole roof Over the shallow end just came Down in one piece said John Welch whose son Michael was not injured in the Accident. Three boys All 4-year-Olds, were taken to children s Hospi Tal where two were treated and released and the third was admitted in serious condition said Hospital spokeswoman Kristi Kienhol. A spokeswoman for Faulkner Hospital said a 3 i year old child and a 4-year-old were in fair and stable condition with cuts and other injuries. One swim instructor 18-year-Olddavid Bortolotto was admitted with head injuries and cuts. Four other children w Ere treated but not hospitalized. Bortolotto was hit by falling debris but pulled four children from the water. Another instructor pulled the other three boys out. Police superintendent Gerard Mchale called Bortolotto a real superstar. He collapsed after he got the kids  no noise preceded the roof s collapse said Myca manager Bill Sclafani. We had no reason to believe we would have any problem with the  the cause of the collapse was being investigated authorities said. Why it collapsed i Don t know said fire capt. Matthew Corbell. There s a big Hole to the sky. The kids were very  the Section that collapsed was about 20-by-l5-Fect, Cor Belt said. Pership contributions. The partnerships were one time $ 1.000payments that guaranteed the donors three nights a year lodging for life at pal s Heri Tage Usa Park in fort Mill  the government contends that Bakker misused those funds which were solicited Over the television broadcasts and through the mails. The jury was later shown the first of eight hours of pal club television shows some dating Back to 1984. Feb special agent Harold Pearson said he edited More than 200 hours of shows Down to eight  said More than 66,000 partnerships were sold to viewers by the Lime Bakker left pal despite a publicized limit of 25,000."All we need is 25.000 people to be come members Bakker said on a pro Gram televised feb. 20, 1984. That s All the memberships we can have in the heritage grand  we reach the cutoff number we will have to refuse the  he told viewers on another show. To be honest we can t offer More memberships than we can physically  Sands of time in the stars and stripes 40 years ago today. Sept. 20, 1949 fourteen Western nations announced they were devaluing their currencies following Britain s de valuation of the Pound the previous Day. 30 years ago today. Sept. 20, 1959 radio Tunis said conference of top tunisian moroccan and algerian rebel leaders would be he Din Tunis to discuss French president Charles de Gaulle s new proposals for settling the algerian question 20 years ago today. Sept. 20, 1969 president Nixon cancelled All november and december draft Calls and ordered the 29,000 men scheduled for induction in october to be called up Over a three month period. 10 years ago today. Sept. 20, 1979 West German do sense minister Hans Apcel told a Bonn press conference West Germany could not meet its commitment to nato to increase its defense budget by 3 percent