The Michigan Daily - Thursday, October 21, 1993 - 7 .Fuel leak leaves car biaze on ~ampus y SHELLEY MORRISON DbLY STAFF REPORTER While driving down Washtenaw s venue at approximately 11 p.m. I.Vuesday evening, Patty McDonald panicked when the pungent smell of pgasoline permeated the interior of her car-. Seconds later, theUniversity Hos- 10itals nurse's aide said the gasoline miell was so strong it burned her _yes, and justas *bystander yelled to her that fuel was dripping from the bottom of the car, flames began to pscapefromtheedgesofthecarhood. McDonald immediately jumped Af'from the car - just before reaching :tethe intersection of Hill Street and *Vashtenaw Avenue. She ran up the sidewalk of Lamda Chi Alpha frater- nity to call the fire department. As she waited for the fire depart- ment to arrive with a growing crowd, the blaze in the hood of her 1980 Ford Mustang heightened. Miraculously, she escaped un- scathed. "I was just driving and all of a sudden there was fire," she said. "I as so scared." Ann Arbor Fire Department (AAFD) officials, who arrived on the scene less than five minutes later, 'determined that the cause of the fire was a broken fuel-line that had satu- rated the hot engine of the car with gasoline and ignited. Ann Arbor Police Department of- ficials blocked off the gasoline- *tained portion of pavement, while fire officials investigated the cause of the accidental fire. AAFD Marshall Dennis Hasley said had the reaction time of McDonald and the department been slower, the vehicle may have ex- ploded. "(AAFD) reaction time is around four minutes at that time of the night ihich can be critical in these types of *inergencies," Hasley said. Ann Arbor fire and police offi- cials arrived and extinguished the fire withineightminutesafterthe call was made. Hasley said even a small engine fire canreach the 1,400 degrees Fahr- enheit necessary to melt glass and steel. "Fire can melt steel and turn glass 9o taffy," Hasley said. - Hasley said investigation of the incident would be continued only if McDonald's insurance company re- quired it. Inspectors Robert Crout and Sandra Stewart, who were on the scene, said the fuel-line most likely snapped due to age. Read the Daiy. Go1 peace. $'f.".' SCARY STUFF Alcohol free evenings see U-Club'desserted' By BARBARA McKELVEY FOR THE DAILY The U-Club is a study in contrasts. Although it does a booming lunch business, its nightclub is more of a ghost town, haunted by those suc- cessful, alcohol-selling times past. Since 1991, therestauranthas been dry during evening activities. During lunch, the U-Club most resembles an Entrde Plusable Denny's, with understated furniture and hanging plants as far as the eye can see. Classical music can almost be heard in the distance. A polite, gussied-up staff waits on customers. They even give patrons appetizers of bread, strawberries and walnut dip. The hamburgers are not hamburgers; they are one-third pound of ground round. Buns are gourmet. And while most guests wear busi- ness suits, some prefer sweatpants. "We are attempting to be a suc- cessful fine dining establishment. We are not trying to draw any particular kindof crowd," saidDarlaDean, lunch manager. "That's the beauty of it." The majority of U-Club custom- ers are professors and visiting profes- sionals who pay for their meals with University accounts distributed through departments and offices. S tu- dents comprise 20 percent of patrons, Dean said, adding that Entrde Plus has not increased business. Lunchtime customers may pur- chase alcohol.Evening guests may not. Until two years ago, it was one of the most popular nightspots in town. And though it has reopened this year with a similar, but alcohol-free for- mula, it has not yet been successful. On the surface, the Club offers everything that any self-respecting college student could ask for. There is music for diverse tastes - Thursday night reggae, and Saturday is alterna- tive -as well as Comedy Night with nationally recognized comedians. Sundays feature jazz with a candle- light dinner. But students are not attending these events in the numbers hoped for by U- Club management. While a typical lunch serves 150 people, the most successful evening - Wednesday Comedy Night - has attracted a maximum of only 80 people. Sunday, the next most suc- cessful evening, has a highest count of 50. However, Night Manager Ed Barnett said he does not plan to give up. He said he will not stop until he finds a viable alternative to alco- holic parties. Barnett pointed out what he sees as an advantage of the U-Club. "A frat party is not every week. If you want entertainment every week, this is the place. It is consis- tent," he said, adding that he would like to gear activities toward first- year students and sophomores, who are not able to hang out at other bars. The Club's largest problem may be its inability to advertise well, Barnett said. He said he does not feel the University provides him with sufficient funding. U-Club server Steve Brand said the University is not acting on its commitment to provide students with alcohol-free entertainment. But Associate Dean of Students Frank Cianciola said he thinks the problem lies elsewhere. "I don't think it is a question of money," he said. "We have made the commit- ment to find alcohol-free alterna- tives. I think it's more of a problem of finding the right mix." PETER MATTHEWS/Dasy Phyllis,a Dairy Mart employee, put together this Halloween display of a munchie-chomping couch potato whose been chopped to death. Mistrial declared in Denny beating case, 2nd defendant off LOS ANGELES (AP) -With a The rioting was set off by the final verdict of "not guilty," the acquittalonstatechargesoffourwhite Reginald Denny beating trial ended police officers accused of beating yesterday, leaving a scarred city to Black motorist Rodney King during a face a legacy of racial hostility and traffic stop inMarch 1991. Two offic- doubt about equal justice for Blacks ers were later convicted of federal and whites. civil rights violations and are in prison. Spectators gasped as the court clerk read the verdict by a multiracial jury, whose tortured deliberations left some jurors ill and prolonged the sus- pense for days. A second Black defendant walked free after 17 months because the jury deadlocked on the remaining charge against him and a mistrial was de- clared. "It's a nice day out today, huh?" Henry Watson said as he leftr jail. CLIFFS QUICK REVIEWS- When you need help preparing for a test, think Quick. Cliffs Quick Reviews are the new study guides from the leader in study guides: Cliffs Notes. Cliffs Quick Review guides are written to aid r " understanding of introductory college courses. They are perfect for use as general course notes and for review before quizzes, midterms and finals. Do better in the classroom, and on papers and tests with Cliffs Quick Reviews."Y FAMOUS FOR SPORTS NUTRITION HERBS (BULK, TEA-BAGS, CAPSULES, TINCTURES) AND VITAMINS/MINERALS Defendant Damian "Football" Williams clasped his hand to his face and smiled as his acquittal was read. Williams, 20, and Watson, 29, were accused of beating Denny, who is white, and several others when vio- lence broke out April 29, 1992, at the infamous intersection of Florence and Normandie in South Central Los An- geles. Denny was dragged from his rig and beaten nearly to death while a television camera in a helicopter re- corded it. The beating was broadcast live and seen around the world. 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