Vol. 156, No. 187©2010 The Daily Citizen

SATURDAY, AUGUST 7, 2010 50¢

CitizenDailyThe

W E A T H E RToday: Mostly sunny. Highsin lower 90s. East winds 5-10 mph.Tonight: Partly cloudy. Lowsin lower 70s. East winds 5mph.

“ ”Well, most grown-ups forgetwhat it was like to be a kid.

I vowed that I would never forget.MATT GROENING

American cartoonist, 1954

Contact us: 3000 E. Race, Searcy, AR 72143, (Phone) 501-268-8621, (Fax) 501-268-6277

ROMER: DEPARTURE WAS LONG PLANNEDThe departing chief of Obama’s economy councilsaid she is leaving for family reasons. — PAGE 2A

Serving Searcy and White County, Ark., since 1854 www.thedailycitizen.com

LIONS GAINING CONFIDENCE FOR 2010The Searcy football team is feeling confidentafter finishing its first week of practices.— PAGE 1B

SEARCYCITY COUNCILNext meeting: 7 p.m.TuesdayAgenda items: Tree board,fees for large scale develop-ments

NATION & STATE, 2AOPINIONS, 4A LIFESTYLES, 5ACALENDAR/OBITUARIES, 6ASPORTS, 1B CLASSIFIEDS, 5B

I N D E X

Haz-mat team responds to callBy Warren Watkinswarren@thedailycitizen.comTwo members of the

Searcy Fire DepartmentHazardous Material

Response (Haz-mat) unitentered the Land O’Frostfactory Friday and shut off avalve, stopping an ammonialeak.

At 10:05 a.m., workersat the factory, which makeslunch meat, were alerted toa possible leak of anhydrousammonia by an electronicmonitoring system, then veri-fied the leak visually througha window on a room contain-ing an ammonia compressor.A gauge on a tank had broken,according to Searcy FireDepartment spokesman DougBaker.

Plant manager PatStrickland said the employeesshut a back-up valve to theroom immediately and calledthe fire department. The build-ing’s 150 employees wereevacuated onto the front lawnalong Lincoln Avenue at 10:15a.m., according to a companyofficial.

AMMONIA LEAK STOPPED AT LAND O’FROST

Firefighter John Falwell, left, hands equipment to Firefighter Matt Mayfield as Captain Barry Daniel approach-es the tape marking the edge of the scene during a response to Land O'Frost Friday. The two are membersof the Searcy Fire Department’s Hazardous Material Response unit. Warren Watkins/warren@thedailycitizen.com

Captain Barry Daniel and Lieutenant Josh Oakes with the Searcy Fire Department exit the Land O’Frost building Friday morning aftershutting off a valve and stopping a leak of anhydrous ammonia. The pair are part of the Hazardous Material Response unit, seen in theforeground. Warren Watkins/warren@thedailycitizen.com

By Warren Watkinswarren@thedailycitizen.com

The work of a SearcyTree Board would representan official environmentally-friendly policy through the“Tree City USA” programalready in place in 43 citiesacross the state.

Mayor Belinda LaForcesaid such a board wouldrequire no budget and no extramoney would be needed forcompliance with regulationsbecause the city is alreadydoing work associated withthe program.

The formation of the boardwill once again come beforethe Searcy City Council asthe group set the agendaThursday for its regular meet-ing Tuesday.

In other business, thecouncil will consider fees

Treeboardon cityagendaFees for largedevelopmentsin consideration

White Sulphur Spring was once heart of SearcyBy Luke Jonesljones@thedailycitizen.com

Before the days of Eureka Springsand Hot Springs, there was the WhiteSulphur Spring, and it flowed fromthe very heart of Searcy.

In the mid-to-late 19th century, thetown’s flavor was altogether differ-ent. The spring, located in the pres-ent Spring Park, was known of evenbefore the town’s incorporation. RayMuncy, a local historian, described it.

“The springs had become ‘a placeof considerable resort’ as early as1836, according to a real estate ad inthe Arkansas Gazette,” he wrote.

According to a 1963 article inWhite County Heritage, an inn had

been built just south of the spring.Stagecoaches would pause there, andtravelers could be treated to a meal ofhot cakes and coffee cooked by “FreeJoe” and his wife, “Aunt Mymie,” anAfrican-American couple who ran aneatery across from the inn.

In 1849, Searcy pioneer IsraelMoore made history by creatingwhat is now known as Spring Park.According to Muncy, “Moore wasbenevolent and extremely civic mind-ed and he confirmed all the sales of

lots made previously in the newlybudding business district and donat-ed the acreage around what is nowSpring Park to the city to be usedpurely and solely for the recreation ofits citizens.”

Moore continued to be influentialin the development of the spring bybuilding a hotel near the springs inthe same year. The White SulphurSprings Hotel was located on thenortheast corner of Main and PleasureStreets.

“The public house at this wateringplace has been repaired and refitted,extensive additions for the accom-modations of visitors made, for theentertainment of all who may resort tothese Springs,” Moore advertised.

His hotel was the first of many.The Kellum Hotel, the ChamblissBoarding House and the Gill House

were just a few of the communitycenters surrounding the park. The GillHouse laterbecame theMayfairHotel,and is the only remnant of the originalhotels. It is “a present reminder ofdays gone by when Searcy was a spacity,” Muncy wrote.

As for the springs themselves, theywere reported to contain a combina-tion of white sulfur, chalybeate andalum. Health benefits were, as with allsprings, debatable, but one thing couldbe agreed on: Senses-wise, the waterswere not pleasant.

“In keeping with the pioneer atti-tude toward natural remedies, if itsmelled and tasted terrible, it wasbound to be good for you,” Muncywrote.

But times were not always so lav-

CONTINUED ON PAGE 3A

CONTINUED ON PAGE 3A

WHITE SULPHURSPRINGSLocation: Present Spring ParkDiscovered: Before 1836Donated to town: 1849Ceased flowing: 1930s-1940s

Thousands flockedto Spring Park

Jonesbororesidentconvictedof murderThe Associated Press

JONESBORO — AJonesboro man has been sen-tenced to 65 years in prisonafter being convicted of kill-ing a woman in her Jonesboroapartment.

The jury returned the ver-dict late Thursday against21-year-old Edward AnthonyLiggins Jr. for the Octoberdeath of 20-year-old TyrinaCornwell. State MedicalExaminer Frank Peretti tes-tified that Cornwell died oftrauma from a beating cou-pled with a gunshot wound.

Deputy prosecutor AlanCopelin says jurors returnedshortly after midnight witha 40-year sentence recom-mendation for the murderconviction that was followedby the judge. The sentencewas enhanced by 25 yearsbecause a firearm was usedin the crime and it was com-mitted in the presence of chil-dren.

Copelin says Liggins willbe eligible for parole in about48 years.CONTINUED ON PAGE 3A

The Daily Citizen Saturday, August 7, 2010 • Page 3A

LOCAL

large-scale developmentsand a resolution to refinanceSearcy Water and SewerSystem bonds.Abudget ordi-nance approving the purchaseof 20 sets of turnouts for theSearcy Fire Department at acost of $54,377.33 will comeunder consideration.

The city’s human resourcedirector, Jay Shock, reportedthat research was ongoinginto the possibility of buy-ing specialized vests thatcould be worn by city work-ers to shield them from heat.

Workers on garbage trucksand boom trucks in the streetdepartment and officers onbike patrol and motorcyclepatrol would benefit from theunits, Shock said.

Mike Cleveland, directorof the city’s code enforce-ment office, said commer-cial construction permit saleswere up in July.

Refunds for the SearcyAdvertising and Promotionstax have begun, city clerkPeggy Meads reported, withone request for a $4 refund.

The original 19th century gazebo still stands over the single remaining sulfur spring well at Spring Park. Visitors likeIvette Suarez, pictured, still use the gazebo for shade even many decades after the spring itself dried up. Luke Jones/ljones@thedailycitizen.com

Resort: White Sulphur Spring once was destinationCONTINUED FROM PAGE 1A

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Ammonia: Leak stoppedCONTINUED FROM PAGE 1A

Council: Agenda toaddress tree board

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1A

About 40 members of thefire department respondedwithin minutes and set up acommand post and equipmentneeded to respond to the leak.

The company set up an airmonitor downwind from thefactory on Higginson Streetbetween Land O’Frost andMeadowlake Apartments,according to Land O’FrostVice President Carl Abbott.MeadowlakeApartments con-tain about 400 residents andare 300 yards from the fac-tory. The leak was stoppedat 11:07 a.m., according tothe Searcy Fire Departmentand the command post at thescene has now been termi-nated. Employees, whowaitedon the factory’s front lawn forover an hour during the inci-dent, were allowed to return totheir jobs at 11:25 a.m.

Baker said anhydrousammonia turns into an acidwhen it comes in contactwith water and could causerespiratory problems and skinirritation. During the incident,the air monitor detected fourparts per million of ammoniain the air, Baker said, and 35parts per million is dangerous.Ammonia used as a cleaningagent is in a water solution,Baker said, and has 10 partsper million.

No injuries were reported,Baker said.

The SFD HazardousMaterial Response Unitentered the building at 11 a.m.wearing their highest-levelchemical suits and air packsand shut off a valve, stop-ping the leak at 11:07 a.m.Employeeswere allowedback

in the building at 11:25 a.m.“At no time in the facility

did ammonia reach levels thatcould do anybody any harm,”Strickland said. “We did thisout of an abundance of cau-tion.”

Anhydrous ammonia is themost common commercialrefrigerant, Abbot said, andthe factory contains 40,000pounds of the chemical in aclosed-loop system.

“We do regular evacu-ation drills so that we areprepared for contingencies,”Abbott said. Company offi-cials are involved in theLocal Emergency PlanningCommittee, leading in thepreparation of contingencyplans and donating to the com-mittee’s budget.White CountyEmergency ManagementCoordinator Tamara Jenkinsfacilitates the committeeand was on scene during theevent.

AnEntryLink camera usedduring entry into the buildinghad been donated by LandO’Frost.

Company Vice PresidentJohn Horton monitored theemployees during the evacu-ation and said the operationwent smoothly.

Horton said in a pressreleasethatapproximately125-175 pounds of ammonia werereleased into the atmosphereand that the company immedi-atelyalertedtheEnvironmentalProtection Agency and otherlocal, state and national emer-gency agencies. The compa-ny's EmergencyAction Teamsworked very closelywith localauthorities, Horton said.

ish for the sulfur springs. The Civil Warleft Searcy, like many southern towns,a ruin.

“Only a rickety old shedgracedSpringPark, once regarded as the health meccaof Arkansas,” Muncy wrote. “Horseswere watering where polite society hadsavored the sulfur water for whateverailed them. Even the ladies who wentfor water often returned with empty pailsbecause the horses and mules formed‘a picket line’ and would not let themthrough.”

But through the chaos and ruin, thecity council looked at Spring Park andsaw “Searcy’s Phoenix.” A town-widecleanup and development campaign fol-lowed, ushering in the golden age of theWhite Sulphur Springs.

Residents were fined for spittingtobacco on or around the park’s benches.A person found guilty of driving cows,horses, hogs or other animals through thepark could be docked $10-$20.

By 1877, the park was in full stride.Lattice spring houses lined the paths andtravelers could choose between several

bath houses. The railroad delivered visi-tors directly to the park’s gates via the sta-tion on Pleasure Street.

One Chicagoan visited the park thatyear and was amazed. He stated that ifthe spring were in a northern state, thetown’s population would soon bloom toa permanent number of 10,000 or more,“but in this country Arkansas things donot move ahead so fast nor profitably,”he wrote.

Albert Yarnell, chairman of Yarnell’sIce Cream Company, recalled that therewere six or seven wells, each with a dif-ferent purported health-effect.

The health-bathing craze eventuallydried up, but by that point Searcy wasalready on its way up. History was not sokind to the springs themselves.

Most of the waters ceased flowingby 1927. According to Bill Leach of theWhite County Historical Society, thereare numerous conflicting reasons whythis happened. Wells had been dug fora cotton compress near Harding and apower plant on the corner of Main andPleasure streets. Could these endeavors

have undermined the flow of the spring?But it may have simply been the resultof land clearing and the dropping of thewater table.

“I don’t think any particularwellmadeit dry up,” Leach said.

Yarnell remembered hearing that awell was dug for an ice plant situatedwhere the park’s pavilion stands today,and it used the spring water for cooling.

He said that although the waters wereno longer used for bathing, throughoutthe depression Searcians were still draw-ing water for drinking.

He also noted that the construction oftheTitan IImissile bases inWhite Countydamaged many local spring wells, andcity officials, believing the water to beunsafe for drinking, deliberately shut offthe spring themselves.

But the spring’s history is not over.Despite the end of the bathing era and theceasing of the spring water, Spring Parkhas remained to date a central part ofSearcy’s environment, keepingwith IsraelMoore’s vision even after 161 years.

Serving Searcy andWhite County since 1854