European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 16, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 4 a the stars and stripes thursday april 16, 1992flood seen As Symbol of facility decay freight tunnels run or More than 50 Miles beneath downtown Chicago at a depth of about 40 feet. Tunnel system was used to deliver materials to various buildings from 190 b to 1950. They now carry optic cables Lor communications and electrical equipment. Sub basements hooded through openings previously used to deliver mail fuel and merchandise to buildings from freight tunnels. How to Drain Chicago workers will attempt to Drain water from one Tunnel to a deep drainage Tunnel by drilling a connection Bethoon the two. Quick dry attempt Concre a to Seal Hole Cement that hardens underwater in two hours was poured through a Hose Over material dropped in Hole. Sandbags and Concrete blocks ass sources City of Chicago mayor s office Cim i to Sun times Melro Bolilan wafer Roc Samalion District of Grna Lor Chicago a Karl Gude Alan Baseden by the los Angeles times Chicago a As Chicago struggled to bail out from its biggest Public works disaster since the great fire of 1871, experts said the subterranean River leak that shorted out the Loop highlighted the perilously neglected state of the nations infrastructure. A the Chicago flood is More than a crack in a retaining Wall a said rep. Norman y. Mineta d-Calif., senior member of the House committee on Public works and transportation. A a it a the shape of things to come in America unless we reverse decades of underinvestment that threatens to undermine our  about 200 Chicago buildings remained without Power and tens of thousands of workers were turned away from their jobs for a second Day on tuesday As approximately 250 million Gallons of water sloshed through a network of old Coal de livery tunnels and into basements throughout the Central business District. The deluge began monday morning after a Sedan size rupture developed in a portion of abandoned Tunnel that runs under the Chicago River. The Hole acted like the Drain on a Bathtub As it sucked River water into the 45-mile Tunnel system that honeycombs the Loop and adjacent areas. After More than a Day of trying to plug the leak with Concrete rocks sandbags Quick drying Cement and even mattresses officials said the flow of water had slowed significantly but probably had not yet been stopped. They were preparing to Send Down divers in protective cages to place sandbags by hand. In other developments a Chicago mayor Richard m. Daley fired acting transportation commissioner John Laplante after it was Learned that the City transportation department had known for at least a month that there was a leakage problem in the Tunnel near the spot where the break occurred. The flood Daley said was a a major problem that could have been  the mayor said the repair Job might have been done for As Little As $10,000. Rather than order repairs on an emergency basis Daley said the Job apparently was put out through the regular competitive bidding process earlier this month. The mayor made it Clear that More disciplinary actions were to come. A businesses lost $80 million to $106 million for every 100,000 workers sent Home monday when flooded basements prompted electricity to be shut downtown said Samuel r. Mitchell president of the Chica Goland chamber of Commerce. More than 200,000 people work in the flood Impact etl area state employment records show. A the flood did create a break for some taxpayers. The internal Revenue service gave Chicago taxpayers affected by the flood a weeks Extension on the Federal april 15 filing deadline. Though the problems in Chicago Are clearly More dramatic than most infrastructure failures analysts said they vividly demonstrate a dangerous and foolishly wasteful trend toward deferring maintenance on roads Bridges sewers water systems tunnels and a wide array of other important capital projects. According to rebuild America a Washington based coalition of municipal state labor engineering and builder groups the nations crumbling foundations Are endangering health and choking off growth. For example the group claims that leaking pipes waste nearly one third of the nation s fresh water Supply each Day. It also says 41 percent of the nations nearly 600,000 Highway Bridges Are either obsolete or deficient. Bush Clinton take conflicting tacks in approaches to Michigan voters Fraser Mich. Of when Bill Clinton talked recently before a virtually All White audience in the Home county of the Reagan democrats he plunged into the Touchy topic of race relations. When president Bush came to the county tuesday he focused on Job training. Clinton the democratic front runner raised a subject that is tied to White flight from Detroit and is part of the reason Many democrats have deserted their party a presidential nominees in recent years. Bush stayed on Safe economic turf wooing autoworkers with a Promise to veto any congressional Effort to increase the fuel efficiency standards for cars. In visits to Macomb county weeks apart a Clinton campaigned Here before Michigan a primary March 17 a the two candidates foreshadowed their Campaign thinking for the fall. With republicans worried about a close november Battle in economically depressed Michigan Bush is seeking to hold the political allegiance of democrats who Nave provided key swing votes for Republican victories in presidential elections the Reagan democrats. Before an audience of several Hundred people at the Giddings amp Lewis Industrial equipment Plant Bush discussed his plan to streamline Job training efforts for Laid off and first time workers and apprentice programs for youths not bound for College. In a state battered by Plant closings with unemployment above the National average Bush a visit to the prosperous factory fit his Effort to portray the Economy As entering a rebound. Clinton took a different approach in Macomb county. At a Community College in nearby Warren Clinton ticked off proposals for economic growth Job training College Access and welfare Reform before his main topic race relations. A i do not believe we have any Hope of doing what we have to do in America unless we come together across racial lines a he said. A the problems Are not racial in nature. This is a crisis of economics and values. It has nothing to do with  poll reflects distrust for Clinton Congress new York a one in five americans in an associated press poll does no to Trust democratic front runner Bill Clinton to do what a right As president. But the poll also found distrust of Congress even More widespread. The respondents also said that getting the Job done is nearly As important As personal honesty and integrity. When it came to deciding whether to support a presidential candidate 38 percent said personal honesty and integrity were most important while 35 percent was More concerned about ability to get things done. Twenty two percent professed to look hardest at stands on the is sues and just 1 percent cited electability. Forty nine percent of those polled said they mostly Trust president Bush to do what is right and an additional 36 percent Trust Bush some of the time. Just 18 percent mostly Trust Clinton 19 percent almost never Trust him and 39 percent Trust the Arkansas governor some of the time. Even As Clinton enhanced his status As democratic front runner by winning the april 7 round of presidential primaries interviews with voters showed deepening questions about his trustworthiness. A network exit poll in new York state found 46 percent of democratic voters doubted Clinton had the honesty and integrity to serve effectively As president. Americans in general Are not feeling at All magnanimous about politicians. A meager 1 percent of americans said they Trust Congress to do what is right just about always compared with 10 percent who feel that Way about the president. A cynical 29 percent almost never Trust Congress. The figure is several Points higher among men those who live in the West those in Middle income households and those who Call themselves political independents. The poll of 1,002 adults was taken april h-12 by ice Survey research group of Media pa., and had a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3 percentage  officer excused from testimony Simi Valley Calif. A a troubled police officer who said he  take the stress of testifying against four people accused in the videotaped beating of a Motorist was excused from appearing tuesday. Los Angeles police sgt. Fred Nichols had been expected to Tell the jury that the Force used in the beating of Rodney g. King was excessive and outside department policies. He testified to that before a grand jury and an Independent commission that investigated the department. Prosecutors accused Nichols of lying to escape the witness stand. Nichols said that after his earlier statements he was removed from his position As head of training and self defense at the police Academy and demoted. He then took a stress leave. The officers on trial Are Theodore j. Briseno 39 Laurence m. Powell 29 and the sergeant in charge of them Stacey c. Koon 41. Timothy e. Wind 31, a Rookie fired after the incident is also on trial. King who is Black was beaten by the White officers on March 3, 1991, after being stopped for speeding. A videotape made by a bystander shows King receiving 56 Baton blows according to the prosecution