Palacios Beacon (Palacios, Tex.), Vol. 77, No. 20, Ed. 1 Wednesday, May 16, 1984 Page: 1 of 12
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• * .
Weather
One man died, but another mir-
aculously survived, after being
buried under nearly six feet of dirt
for over VA hours following a
trench cave-in at the Palacios
sewer treatment plant last Wed-
nesday.
Pronounced dead at the scene at
6:50 p.m. by Justice of the Peace
Jack Dooley was Cruz Chavez, 25,
who had been using the name
Carlos Horta and who was working
for Delta Construction Co., the firm
handling the sewer plant rehabil-
itation project. Rescued in fair
condition was co-worker Enrique
Castillo Chavez, 25.
Chavez, who was buried alive
under nearly six feet of dirt for well
over l‘/a hours, was taken to
Wagner General Hospital suffering
only a sore arm. It had taken
rescuers another 45 minutes to
extricate Chavez from the clay-mud
bottom of the trench after he was
first found alive.
The cave-in occurred around
4:50 p.m. in a trench that was
being dug in which the Delta crew
was scheduled to lay a pipe.
Chavez and Horta were reportedly
alone in the trench area when the
cave-in occurred at the deepest
portion. The two were found at
approximately 13-feet below the
top of the trench.
It was the first job fatality that
Delta has been involved in in over
28-years one official said
Investigators for the Matagorda
r-
County Sheriffs Department and
the Labor Department’s OSHA
(Occupational Safety and Health
Administration) questioned Chavez
and other persons engaged in work
at the site following the accident.
OSHA was scheduled to release its
report to Delta and city officials
early this week.
Members of the Palacios Volun-
teer Fire Department, along with
several other rescuers and dozens
of onlookers, had nearly completely
given up hope of finding either of
the two alive after they had dug for
over an hour without finding any
signs of the two missing workers.
Initial rescue digging operations
had been centered in one part of
the trench from where one worker
reportedly had heard yells coming
immediately after the initial cave-
in occurred.
A second cave-in, that occurred
shortly before the Palacios VFD
arrived, had trapped that worker
up to his waist as he had attempted
to dig out Chavez and Horta. That
second cave-in silenced any further
noise from the two.
Centering their digging opera-
tions where the voices had been
heard earlier, rescuers dug down
several feet to undisturbed soil
without success. It was not until
the operation moved a few feet
further up the trench that the
missing workers were found.
The exact circumstances surr-
[See MAN, Page 4]
ENRIQUE CASTILLO CHAVEZ [cent-
er] grabs the hand of Sammy Davidson
white David Anders [below right] lifts
him out of the hole. Two rescuers grab a
towel that was wrapped around Chav-
ez’s leg in an attempt to free It from the
muddy day bottom. Chavez was found
alive after being buried tor more than
l‘/i hours under more than six feet of
dirt following a trench cave-in at the
Palacios sewer treatment plant. It took
nearly another hour to finally remove
Chavez completely from the trench. The
worker at the site. The two
employed by Delta Construction Co.
which was handling the rehabilitation
work at the sewer plant. [Beacon Photo
hv Nli-k W«ti
DATE
MAX.
MIN.
PREC.
MAY 7
86
76
.00
MAY 8
87
62
.60
MAY 9
83
51
.00
MAY 10
80
60
.00
MAY 11
85
70
.00
MAY 12
85
71
.00
MAY 13
85
66
.00
VOLUME 77. NO. 20
16PAGES
J
Police bat .800 in stolen car cases
Unlocked cars, with keys left in
them, made easy targets for
apparent joy riders last week as
Palacios Police investigated five
reports of car theft.
Four of the vehicles (one having
only minor damage) were recover-
ed, the fifth is still missing.
According to Assistant Police
Chief Emmett Greene, two vehi-
cles were reported stolen earlier in
the week with three being taken on
Sunday.
"It appears to be a rash of kids
doing a rash of joy riding," Greene
remarked. "People are leaving
their keys in the cars. ’ ’
Billy Hamiin reported last Mon-
day that his 1979 Ford Thun-
derbird had been taken from the
Minimax parking lot. He discover-
ed the vehicle missing as he
prepared to leave the store. A short
time later Bay City police called an
It’s Cleanup time
The annual Palacios Spring
Cleanup Drive, sponsored by the
Palacios Chamber of Commerce in
conjunction with the city of Pala-
cios and Pet. 3 is being conducted
this week.
Longhorn Trash Disposal, Inc. of
Bay City has agreed to furnish
40-yard capacity dumpsters at
three locations throughout the city
for residents to dispose of refuse,
brush and old appliances. The
dumpsters will be located at
10th and Rorem (Rorem Street
Park), Texas and Gray (Scout
House Park in Foley) and at 6th
and Main.
During the week, city crews will
also be hauling off junked vehicles
and tagging those that are in
violation of easements and city
ordinances.
Throughtout the week crews will
also be collecting refuse along
streets and in alleys. This will be
the final time which debris and
garbage will be picked up in alleys.
Any dumping in alleys after this
week will be subject to fines.
Volunteers will be ending the
week with a massive cleanup
through the town. Persons willing
to volunteer their time, along with
those willing to volunteer pickup
trucks and trailers to haul refuse,
should contact Ctiy Hall at 972-
4141.
Mapping out jogging trail.
PARKS DIRECTOR Tom ^ u—. examine the We,,s F,r*° Jo88ln8/ Installation along South
Koresld and Mayor Leo- (|_Q to the Fitness course prior to Bay Park.
informed him that his vehicle had
been found after officers had
picked up a suspect for public
intoxication.
A warrant for unauthorized use
of a motor vehicle was issued by
Pet. 3 Justice of the Peace Jack
Dooley against Alvin LeRoy Pettitt
of Florida in connection with the
incident.
A 1980 Oldsmobile was reported
missing by Robert Christianson,
401 Mertie, on Thursday. Chri-
stianson said he noticed the car
was missing around 10:20 p.m.
A high school student spotted
the abandoned car the next day on
McGlothiin, west of 12th Street.
Greene said the car had not been
ransacked and that it had been
locked up before being abandoned.
Officers were kept busy on
Sunday with three car thefts
reported. Jeffrey Deal Tolleson,
109 Commerce, told police his 1972
Chevy Nova had been taken from in
front of his residence at appro-
ximately 2:45a.m.
The vehicle was recovered iater
in the day at Tidewater Oaks.
A 1979 Oldsmobile belonging to
Thang Van Tran of Port Lavaca was
reported stolen from Green Lant-
ern Trailer Paik at approximately 1
a.m. Sunday. As of Monday
morning, the silver and black T-top
Cutlass had not been found.
Shortly after 12:30 a.m. Sunday,
Tac Van Nguyen said his 1978
Oldsmobile station wagon had also
been taken from Green Lantern
Trailer Park. Officers found the car
abandoned at 9:58 a.m. on Ruthven
between Craymer and Koontz. The
vehicle had been damaged on the
left front.
Two separate theft cases, one
involving over $2,000 in cash, were
also reported to police during the
week.
William Wilkins, 412 Johnson,
said an Igloo Playmate cooler had
been stolen from the back of his
pickup that was parked at his
residence. The incident occurred
around 8:30 a.m. May 6.
Along with the cooler, Wilkins
said a money clip with $2,000 in
cash, a Kodak Disc camera, film,
wallet, glass eye, contact lenses,
and credit cards were also taken.
On May 5, an employee of the
Sportsman Club on Commerce
Street reported that a brown City
State Bank money bag containing
$800 in cash was missing.
First phase of jogging
course gets installed
Volunteers trom the Palacios
Rotary Club and the Parks and
Recreation Committee spent all
day Saturday on the first phase of
the installation of the Wells Fargo
Jogging/Fitness course along Sou-
th Bay. Nine of the 20 stations were
completed.
The course will begin in the park
by 6th Street with the introduction
sign and the warm-up games.
Following the warm-up the exerci-
ser will jog to the next game station
and perform the exercise pre-
scribed for his level of fitness.
Stations 5-16 are conditioning
exercises. After Station 12 the
exerciser can run an additional
length or continue on to East Bay
Park and pick up at Station 13.
Stations 17-20 are cool down
exercises.
All the game stations and signs
are made of redwood and are
attractive and sturdy. The jogging
trail itself will be unsurfaced and
"self worn”. If use in the next few
years justifies the cost, the com-
mittee plans to investigate a
surface for the trail.
This trail has the distinction of
being the first in Matagorda
County. The jogging trail is the
first of the improvements planned
for South Bay Park that are covered
under the matching grant from
Texas Parks and Wildlife. Anyone
wishing to make donations of time
or material to complete this project
should call City Hall and talk to
Tom Koreski, or call Mary Egge-
meyer at 972-3960.
The city was notified May 11 that
the Texas Parks and Wildlife
Commission voted to grant match-
ing funds for the improvements
planned for East Bay Park. The
grant totals $38,300. Facility im-
provements will include a play-
ground. expansion of the boat
ramp, a fishing pier, picnic shelters
and a restroom facility,
Gun Club resets
meeting for June
The May 21st meeting of
the Palacios Gun Club has
been rescheduled for June 14
at 7:30 p.m. in the Rec-
reation Center.
Sr. Babe Ruth
to open season
The Babe Ruth 16-18 year
old opening game between the
Legions and Mustangs will be
next Tuesday at 6 p.m. with
opening ceremonies at 5:45
p.m. Billy Bradshaw will be
throwing out the opening ball.
Collegeport Day
observed May 26
The annual homecoming for
the 76th anniversary of the
founding of Collegeport will
be held May 26 at 12 noon at
the MoPac House in College-
port.
Persons should bring a
covered dish for this annual
event sponsored by the Wo-
men’s Club of Collegeport.
Family performs
at Church Sunday
The Howard Baldwin family
of Temple will be performing
special singing and instru-
mental music Sunday at 11
a.m. at the Church of the
Nazarene.
PISD choirs in
concert Thursday
The Palacios Junior and
Senior High School choirs will
present their 1984 Spring
Concert to the public at 8 p.m.
Thursday in the Palacios Fine
Arts Auditorium.
The concert will feature a
wide spectrum of vocal music
from George F. Handel to
Larry Gatlin. Groups perform-
ing that evening will be the
PJHS "B”Choir, PJHS “A”
Choir, PHS Treble Choir, PHS
Tenor-Bass Choir, PHS Chor-
ale, Pop Ensembles and PHS
Show Choir.
Directors for the choirs are
Michael E. Petrisky and Vicki
Cribbs.
Admission for the concert is
50 cents for students and $1
for adults. Children of pre-
school age will be admitted
free.
Ml
, j . - ■' > ' ('
One killed, one survives cave-in misha
Rescuers uncover survivor after
having been buried ltt-hours
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Palacios Beacon (Palacios, Tex.), Vol. 77, No. 20, Ed. 1 Wednesday, May 16, 1984, newspaper, May 16, 1984; Palacios, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth725997/m1/1/: accessed June 21, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Palacios Library.