European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 28, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Tuesday april 28, 1992 the stars and stripes a Page 5seattle prepares for its worst dry spell Seattle up a the bluest skies in recent memory Are giving water planners the blues this Spring As possibly the worst water shortage in Seattle a history looms. A Brown is Beautiful Green is greedy is fast becoming the summer motto for Lawn care in the Evergreen state. The problem is not Lack of rain a a soggy Seattle had a wet Winter. But it was the warmth of the Winter that left the Cascade Range without its Normal Snow pack which forms the basis for the regions drinking water irrigation and hydroelectricity. The Normal Snow Depths at this time of year a 80 inches or More in the lower pass regions of the mountains a Are either gone or Only a few inches High foretelling of dry times ahead. A we have been in a somewhat cooler Wetter pattern for the month of april a said Douglas Mcdonnel hydrologist for the National weather service. A but its pretty late in the year to try to recover a  the Healthiest Snow pack is in the higher elevations of the North cascades at about 70 percent to 80 percent of Normal Mcdonnel said. A however that a a Small enough land area that it does no to contribute a lot to the water Supply a he said. A below 5,000 feet the Snow pack is probably 10 to.20 percent of Normal. That a pretty  right now 1992 is shaping up As the worst water situation in the recorded history of our Community s a mayor Norm Rica in the midst of april a showers mayor Norm Rice was briefed on the water situation and called a news conference to advocate voluntary water restrictions that May become mandatory in the near future. A week later restaurants stopped serving water to patrons at the beginning of meals unless requested. The measures Are reminiscent of the action taken in California which recently endured a five year drought. A right now 1992 is shaping up As the worst water situation in the recorded history of our Community a Rice said adding he doubted conditions would improve even if it rained a for 40 Days and 40  the shortage is expected to be worse than 1987, when a Long drought led to mandatory bans on Lawn watering the Advent of the a Lawn police a and other restrictive measures a none of which was implemented until Well into the summer. This year december through february was officially the warmest on record according to the National weather service. The chief suspect was Al Nino a warming weather pattern that develops every four to five years around december along the West coasts of North and South America. This Winter Al Nino shifted the track of Snow producing storms away from the Pacific Northwest Ana toward California where disastrous floods resulted. Up North the Mercury rarely dipped below freezing even at night after Christmas. A it was really the temperatures that created the situation a Mcdonnel said. A during the months of november and january we had above Normal precipitation but it did not build up a Snow pack at the critical Elevation which is 5,000 feet or  by Midsummer he estimated the crunch will be on As conflicting water users collide Over a limited resource. Municipalities agriculture fisheries and hydropower All thrive on the annual melting Snow pack. A the group that a going to face the most severe shortage will be the City of Seattle a Mcdonnel said explaining that the City and Many of its suburbs depend on the Cedar River drainage Basin for its water almost All of which is below the 5,000-foot level. A the Snow pack within that drainage Basin is virtually gone a Mcdonnel said. In the stars and stripes10 years ago april 28, 1982 a prime minister Margaret Thatcher said Britain is steadily maintaining military pressure on Argentina As the Only Way to get the country to pull its invasion forces out of the Falkland islands.20 years ago april 28, 1972 a president Nixon declaring he could Quot see the Day when no More americans will be involved a announced the withdrawal of 20,000 More . Troops from Vietnam by july 1.30 years ago april 28,1962 a state governors rallied around Iowa a gov. Norman Erbe in revolting against a proposed cutback of National guard and army Reserve units. 40years ago april 28,1952 a the last Day of Allied military occupation of Japan ended after 6vfeyears, with the Start of the japanese peace treaty. The treaty included a controversial article in which Japan renounced its right to make War and guaranteed that a a land sea and air Force As Well As other War potential will never be  world War ii 50 years ago today 28 april1 .9.4.2 the nationalist chinese 28th div is rushed from Mandalay in Central Burma to try to Parry the japanese thrust toward Lashio in the East the Start of the crucial Burma Road Supply line to chinese forces in China in the Philippines the japanese mount ferocious attacks on the last defenders of or Danao. German planes bomb historic York in Northern England. . Officials fear stinger missiles could wind up in terrorist hands by Edmund l. Andrews the new York times Washington now that Muslim rebels have overthrown the government of Afghanistan american military experts say they arc concerned that unused stinger anti aircraft missiles supplied by the United states to the rebels could make their Way to Iran or International terrorist groups. Moreover they said sunday it will be difficult for the United states to recover the weapons at least any time soon. The missiles Are probably in the hands of several different rebel factions and could be used by the groups As they fight one another for Power. The United states has much less bargaining Power with these groups than it once had because it stopped supplying military Aid this year. Stinger missiles which arc fired from the shoulder and can destroy air planes flying at up to 18,000 feet were decisive in allowing the afghan rebels to fight off attacks from the former soviet unions air Force and from the afghan government. The stinger is an Ideal weapon for guerrilla groups and could be used for terrorist attacks on commercial airliners or in other regional conflicts officials said. Last week state department spokeswoman Margaret d. Tutwiler said the United states had placed a High priority on retrieving the weapons. State department officials refused to give any details about How Many weapons Are believed to be in circulation who has them and what they Are doing to get them Back. In 1987, american officials reported that Iran had taken As Many As 30 stingers from an afghan rebel Convoy near the Border Between Iran and Afghanistan. In 1988, the United states said it had discovered that the persian Gulf nation of Qatar had bought stingers on the Black Market. Qatar refused to return the weapons. Last August . Customs agents arrested three croats and one american gun store owner and said they had been trying to buy 20 stinger missiles and several thousand guns for use by croats against serbs in the yugoslav civil War. Kenneth Katzman of the congressional research service said several Hundred stingers May still he in Afghanistan. A i think its going to be Tough to get those weapons Back a Katzman said. A a there a a certain amount of prestige associated with having  on sunday in Kabul one of the rebel leaders Gul Buddin Hematyar threatened to shoot Down planes approaching the capital although it was not Clear that he was planning to use stingers. Rep. Stephen j. Solarz d-n.y., chairman of the House foreign affairs subcommittee on asian and Pacific affairs said it was hard to know How Many missiles were left because it was hard to verify How Many the guerrillas had used. Quot it would not be difficult for a faction to Squirrel away the missiles for some future use Quot he said. A it cannot be in our interest to have these weapons floating around available for Sale or Transfer to terrorists. But getting them Back will not be  David , an arms control expert in Washington d.c., who has written three books on the War in Afghanistan said the United states had Gen Cir tried to keep tight if indirect control Over its inventories. He said that All stinger shipments were funnelled through pakistanis military intelligence service and that pakistanis noted to whom each missile was Given and logged each weapon with an identification number. When rebel commanders came seeking replacements he said they were supposed to provide a used casing from each missile they had fired. Engineer blames Loop flood on bad decision source 2194 Days of War w. H. Smith a up dashers inc. World almanac Book of world War ii. Bison books corp1981 Chicago up a the president of an engineering firm who examined detailed City underground maps and technical drawings said pilings were placed just 12 inches too far South at the Kinzie Street Bridge triggering the a great Chicago flood a a published report said sunday. The Chicago Tribune said the Independent Engineer examined the charts and information released by a dredging firm. He determined that an on site decision to move a piling Cluster 3 feet led to at least one of the 50-foot timbers being pounded through the Wall of an underground Utility Tunnel. On april 13, the Tunnel filled with More than 250 million Gallons of Chicago River water producing a billion Dollar disaster in the downtown Loop area. The . Army corps of engineers reported sunday that it had pumped More than 118 million Gallons of water from the Tunnel and was still drawing Down the water at the rate of 1 Viz to 2 feet an hour. George Kennedy president of the Chicago engineering firm George a. Kennedy and associates told the Tribune that the decision to move the pilings 3 feet apparently led to the disaster. A if driven As originally planned there would have been 2 feet clearance Between the pilings and the Tunnel Wall a Kennedy told the Tribune. A they had 2 feet to spare hut when they moved them 3 feet South they were driven right into the  Kennedy told the newspaper at least one of the pilings apparently was driven through the 7.8-foot-wide Concrete Tunnel which was constructed almost 100 years ago to carry Coal to the boiler rooms of Loop buildings and to remove ashes on the return trip. Information released publicly by great lakes dredge and  corp. Was included among the documents examined by the Tribune a expert. The report said great lakes declined to discuss Kennedy a findings. The company said earlier that it had decided to shift the piling Cluster because putting it on the spot specified in the contract with the City could have driven the pilings into the Kinzie Street Bridge House if a boat ran into it. The company and the City said earlier that Chicago inspectors gave permission on the site for shifting the piling Cluster 3 feet to the South. Meanwhile the Chicago transit authority said it would begin testing its state Street subway Tunnel monday morning first with an empty train to determine whether the rails and electrical Power lines were in shape to operate. The state Street testing was expected to run through late today and if successful the testing would then begin on the Dearborn Street subway Tunnel