European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - July 02, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Tuesday july 2, 1991 the stars and stripes a amp Page 5 poachers in my stripping Yew bark for cancer drug Oakridge Ore. Apr rangers in the Northwest a National forests Are chasing a new kind of poacher one with a draw knife who strips bark from Pacific Yew Trees to Cash in on demand for a new cancer fighting drug produced from the tree. A a it a a Damn waste a said Jim Simonson Yew coordinator in Oregon a Willamette National  looked out Over the naked White trunks of 62 yews that were illegally stripped of their bark. Trees that Are girdled will die. The bark is the primary source of a drug called Taxon which has shown a unique ability to fight cancer by stopping cells from dividing. It has proved effective in tests on women with advanced breast and ovarian cancer. The National cancer Institute is so excited about the drug that the government has pledged to collect 750,000 pounds of Yew bark a year. That would produce about 55 pounds of Taxon enough to treat 1,250 people. In a multimillion Dollar Deal the government granted Bristol Myers Squibb co. Exclusive rights to produce Taxon from bark collected in National forests. Selling for $2.50 a Pound Yew bark Means easy Money for some. Logging restrictions to protect the Northern spotted owl a threatened species Are making it tougher for loggers and Mil workers to make a living. A was More and More people Are Laid off work and Mills close we Are expecting to see More crime problems on the National  said Carola e. Stoney a Forest agent in Willamette. A of course this Deal on Taxon has just taken the Yew bark sort of right to the head of the  bark that took 80 to 200 years to grow can be stripped in minutes from As High As a person can reach to about knee level. Authorities have found no evidence of a Black Market though rumours abound. Simonson said. There also is talk that desperate cancer patients May be trying to make Home remedies. Since Taxon is not water soluble it would be useless to brew the bark he said. Simonson said poached bark is probably mixed with legally taken bark and sold to the Only authorized buyer Hauser Northwest in cottage Grove Ore., a division of Hauser chemical research inc. Of Boulder Colo. It extracts the Taxon and Sells it to Bristol Myers. Legally gathered Taxon bark is taken by cutting Down yews in areas designated for logging or by scavenging logged Over areas. To combat poaching Hauser employees estimate How much bark should be coming in from Legal peelers. A to my knowledge there Hasni to been any Case of anyone who has approached us to sell bark that Wasny to Ranger Jim Simonson Cheeks damage to a Yew tree. Taken with a permit Quot said Dean p. Stull Hauser chief executive officer. But it comes Down to a matter of Trust involving the Forest service Hauser and the collectors Simonson said. Shipwreck contains Copper plus toxic Mercury Portland Maine apr treasure Hunters Are fighting for rights to $1 million in Copper aboard a world War ii Shipwreck off the Southern Maine coast. However there a a problem. The wreck also carries a Load of toxic Mercury. So whoever wins will then have  government agencies arguing that Salvage efforts could unleash environmental disaster in one of new England a richest fishing grounds. The British registered Empire Knight hit a ledge and Sank in 1944, about six Miles offshore of Kittery Maine a southernmost Point. The 478-foot ship carrying War supplies split in two. Most of its Copper and Mercury cargoes went Down with the Back Section. Aboard were 3,300 coils of top Grade 1-Inch Copper Worth an estimated $1 million on today a Market. There also were 221 Glass lined vials of Mercury each weighing about 75 pounds and a cargo of unexploded ammunition. A a it san awful lot of Mercury in one place a said Brian Marcotte of Maine a Marine resources department one of several government agencies interested in the wreck. A i need some assurances that we re not going to have a massive catastrophe out  the area produces about $1 billion in fish a year Marcotte said. The environmental Protection Agency the coast guard the american Bureau of shipping and Maine fishermen along with other state and Federal agencies have said they Are worried about Salvage safety questions. When Mercury mixes with sea water it produces Mercury oxide a dangerous chemical that can work its Way up the food Chain. A you Start dispersing that Over the environment a Well you can just imagine the fishermen a concerns a said Philip Colarusso an Epa official in Boston. Strategic salvos of red Bank n.j., holds rights to the wreck based on an october 1988 Federal claim. Owner Jerome Burke said he bought information pinpointing the wreck in 1979, but has not begun any Salvage efforts blaming setbacks in finding investors. Exploration and Salvage dives have been made by Atlantic Marine research and recovery inc., of Rye n.h.,. Which is challenging burkes claim in Federal court in 1990, divers recovered some Copper that sold for $7,600, court records show. Atlantic Marine owner Robert l. Higgins said the rights belong to him because he found the wreck. A fall the fishermen on the coast knew what i was working on out there a he said last week. Burke countered that he knew the approximate location of the ship and filed properly to obtain rights to its cargo. N the stars and stripes10 years ago july 2,1981 a Buckingham Palace announced that in a break with tradition lady Diana Spencer would not Promise to Quot obey Quot Prince Charles when they exchanged wedding vows at St. Paul a Cathedral on july 29. The decision was made by the couple.20 years ago july 2,1971 a the voting age in All elections was lowered to 18 when Ohio ratified the 26th amendment to the Constitution fulfilling the requirement that 38 states do so to make it law.30 years ago july 2,1961 a British warships loaded with troops sailed into Kuwait Bay in response to Kuwait a plea for Aid As the . Security Council arranged a meeting to discuss the iraqi threat to Kuwait.40 years ago july 2,1951 a chinese and North korean communist forces announced their agreement to hold cease fire talks demanding that the meeting take place in South Korea Between july 10 and 15. 5,000 ethnic yugoslavs to show support for rebel new York a thousands of people with roots in Croatia and Slovenia protested outside the United nations on sunday demanding official . Support for their Freedom minded homelands. About 5,000 demonstrators some wearing ethnic Folk costumes Sang National hymns and carried balloons with colors Matching the croatian and slovenian flags. A Banner said . You support the communist yugoslav government. They Are killing democracy in Croatia and  ethnic slovenians and croats sent a letter sunday to president Bush asking him to condemn the Federal army a intervention in the two Northern republics. Copies were circulated at the demonstration. A this is the Black House not the White House if it supports the communists a said Ante Vanjak a croatian american living in new York City. The demonstration came As diplomats tried to defuse the tense standoff Between Slovenia and the Federal army which followed the two republics declarations of Independence. Slovenia moved to take control of its International Borders and the army launched a two Day land and air attack inure . Republics which at least 43 people were reported killed. It announced a cease fire Friday. Jacques Poos Luxembourg a foreign minister and the head of the european Community said the dec would freeze $1 billion in Aid to Yugoslavia if the Federal government did not publicly state its commitment to an dec brokered peace plan. Hundreds of thousands of people of yugoslav descent live in the United states with Large concentrations in Chicago and Cleveland. The croatian Council a new York based cultural group estimates 200,000 people of croatian descent live in the greater new York area. Gulf War puts More bang into fireworks Columbia . A the rockets red Glare this fourth of july will be provided by scud busters and Patriot missile launchers a fireworks with names inspired by the persian Gulf War. At Casey a discount fireworks in Columbia patriotic pyrotechnics with labels such As stealth bomber Are going fast owner Jack Casey said. A a it a going to be a hot number for us. People remember seeing that Patriot missile Knock Down those scuds a Casey said of to coverage of the War. Fireworks such As the antitank mine which yields up to 10 loud Bangs Are moving quickly at the Bishopville warehouse of atomic distributors inc., said manager Gary Lewis. A fall indications in the Industry Are that we think this is going to be the biggest season since the Bicentennial in 1976,�?� Casey said. A sales Are running a lot stronger earlier than in other  the Patriot scud Buster and stealth bomber rockets Are not new gadgets a they were just renamed for marketing purposes said Ken Campbell manager of fort Pedro at South of the Border a tourist attraction outside Dillon. Fort Pedro Sells packs of four scud busters for $9.95 and single Patriot missiles for $1.50. A Patriot launcher at Casey a caught 32-year-old Bill Dellers Eye. A people that had nothing to do with the War will get a sense of what its like to say a l Ake that Saddam a when they set off the fireworks Quot he said