Your want ad The Zip Code is easy to place # L for Linden is -Phone 686-7700 which became a Suburban Publishing Corp. newspaper on July 2, 1964 0 7 0 3 6 An Official Newspaper For The City of Linden VOL. 24-NO. 17 Publithud Each Thunday by Suburban Publishing Corp. LINDEN, N.J., THURSDAY, DECEMBER 15, 1V77 Subscription Rate *9.50 Yearly 25c p«r copy 211 North Wood Llndon. N.J. 07036 Second Class Postage Paid at Linden, N.J. 10 are stricken by mysterious ailment Members of LVAC become ill Authorities baffled by possible cause By STEVEN J. HERZ A mysterious ailment overcame 10 persons, including nine members of the Linden Volunteer Ambulance Corps (LVAC), in the unit’s headquarters on Elizabeth avenue Saturday, sending six of the victims to Rahway Hospital No determination has yet been made as to what caused the group to take sick after spending parts of the day and EDWARD MURAWSKI JAMES IOZZI evening in the kitchen area of the squad's headquarters. A spokeswoman for the hospital told the Leader that hospital reports attributed the malady to "accidental inhalation of freon gas,’ Joycees pick 2 a type of gas used in refrigeration, but emphasized that this was only a hypothetical judgement based on test results of the victims and information given by them to the hospital Each of as 'outstanding’ the six persons was administered a JUDGES for Linden F ir* Department's local fir* prevention included, from grades one to six: Frank Alansky, first chest X-ray and a CBC or complete Council President Edward Murawski Iozzi, a guidance counselor at Soehl poster contest go over entries. Theyjaf*, frtjm left, Moses place, St Elizabeth's School, David 8®rch, second place, blood count However, the hospital was chosen "Outstanding Citizen" by Junior High School, was tapped for this Brlenu,-fire Inspector. Barclay Fox, Linden Investments. ■SWtogl N it*, and Gregory f)embowsklr third place, St sfXikgswoman refused to release any the Jaycees and James Iozzi, son of year’s award because of the' sports Co.; Wesley W. Lyon, supervisor of Industrial and related TherelB's School. In grades seven to 12; Alea Fine, first test results, citing protection of the Fifth Ward Councilman James Iozzi, activities he's engaged in with arts; Deputy Chief Fred W. Pytlowany, head of Fire place, McManus Sharron Woods, second place, Linden privacy of those treated was picked "Outstanding Young Man" youngsters in Lindenand on the county Prevention Bureau, Deputy Chief Wallace Smith, head of Vocational School, and Rich Ferretti, third place, Vo Tech According to LVAC Captain Walter during balloting conducted last week level and with the "Hot Stove" League the department's training division, and Amerlcg R School Vandewater, weekend crews work 24 Both men will be honored during a of Union County The judges this year were Richard Taranto, superintendent of schools. Winners of contest (Photo by Frank Taranto) hours at corps headquarters, starting dinner-dance scheduled for Jan 21. - at 6 a m The Saturday crew had been Murawski was chosen because of his Luongo, editor of the Linden Leader in and out of the kitchen area during the contributions to the political scene in Zana Welborn, a reporter for the Star day. answering calls and relaxing in Linden and the work he has done with Ledger, and Walter Tylicki. head of the between Some food was eaten by crew the Polish-American people, among math department at Linden High members in the building but this was other accomplishments School Adjustors are handling ruled out as a cause as none of the victims ate the same thing and two of those affected had not eaten at all, Vandewater laid. Little bedtime story- I xxon m ishap s We just don't know what hap- ’ related the captain. ‘‘Some o f b y Ric h a r d lu o n g o "If anyone has a complaint," said the indicating that die oil covering can be the crew members began to experience one truck in the yard A special team of insurance adjustors spokesman, “the adjustors should be removed with repeated washings, the symptons during the afternoon but has set up shop on Staten Island to contacted to make a claim. A few days corroborating comments by New York no one paid attention to them until later When you live on Rt. 1-9 and ParkN, What Pecesky found when he ran handle complaints from persons on the afterwards, arrangements will be City police at Staten Island's New Dorf on when they began to find out that the avenue, you learn to expect almost outside in his underwear was a huge island whose property was sprayed by made to inspect the property ” precinct who said the oil could be ailment was common to all of them, " he anything, but when Linden Det John tractor-trailer resting no more than an oil caused by a malfunctioning piece of How much oil was spilled and how washed off said Pecesky heard the loud crash early inch from his house It seems the driver equipment at Exxon's Bayway much money in claims will be paid out. 'The oil is not dangerous nor flam The symptoms, which began to ap­ yesterday morning outside his home, he had lost control of the vehicle and ran Refinery in Linden. is not known mable." the Exxon representative said pear about 3 or 4 p.m , included light­ didn’t know what to think through a utility pole on the corner At about 1:15 p.m.. Saturday, said an The spokesman said the safety valve Asked how the equipment could have headiness, a dull headache, nausea and before cutting a path through Pecesky s Exxon spokesman, a malfunction on a on the dislallation unit is designed to malfunctioned, he said "The cold a good deal of burping, according to yard installation unit on the western side of release oil in case equipment on the unit temperature was probably a con­ Vandewater Mortuary unit “I was in bed and heard this loud the New Jersey Turnpike caused oil to fails, thus avoiding chances of a tributing factor In my 25 years with When the symptoms did not abate, noise and ran out to see what hap­ be released through a safety valve possible explosion. Exxon, this never happened before and Corps President Ed Obuch was called probes multiple pened," the detective related "The The heavy oil, continued the "It did its job," the spokesman noted. will probably never happen again.'' to come to the building A short time pole had been snapped in half and he spokesman, was sprayed into the air, later, he also began to experience some burial charges (the truck driver) must have pulled it coating part of the Turnpike which of the symptoms 25 feet before coming to a stop about an made the roadway slippery for a time Vandewater said he was called and A Newark funeral director is under inch from the house ” but no accidents or traffic james oc­ John D. Potter, 82, dies; arrived at headquarters around 9 p m investigation by the New Jersey Board Pecesky noted the driver appeared curred The portion of the highway He decided to call the Linden Fire of Mortuary Science for burying dead either dazed or drunk and was wearing between Exits 12 and 13 was sanded Department which responded under the babies in single caskets at Linden's a large cowboy hat When Pecesky ran The oil was carried by the wind across member of an old family- supervision of Deputy Chief Fred Rosedale Cemetery. into his house to call police, he Although there is apparently no law- discovered the phone was dead It was the Arthur Kill onto a section of Staten John D Potter, 82, of W Henry Pitlowany A thorough search was Island, the spokesman added Property on the books prohibiting mass burials, then that he heard the engine start and. street, who represented the ninth made of the building, including the ice in Linden and in Elizabeth was not house and a chemical firm across the the mortuary board plans to hold a upon returning to the yard, saw the generation of an old Colonial family, disciplinary hearing in a case against truck driving away down the highway. affected. died last Thursday in Elizabeth street, but ^nothing suspicious was According to the Exxon represen­ Carmine Berardinelli, who was named Pecesky was able to get the name of General Hospital after a brief illness found Pitlowany reported no odor in tative, General Adjustment Bureau of in a 42-count complaint which lists the company owning the vehicle and the Funeral services were held on Saturday (Continued on page 3) New York set up an office in Staten Rosedale and other cemeteries. (Continued on pag« 3) from the Werson Funeral Home on N Island shortly after the mishap with a t<tHHiiiiiniHiimimiHiiiiiiimiimmiiHiiimiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiu The funeral director contends that he Wood avenue. special telephone number—212-698- has had permission for years from A native of Linden, Mr Potter was 9300—to handle ail complaints 1978 schedule Newark city officials to perform mass Mr. Valvano; bom in 1895 in the house on W Elm burials under a contract to handle street his father had purchased six is set by board welfare deaths Berardinelli reportedly detective chief Rahway man years before In an interview given to was a key informant in investigations the Leader in September, he told of his The Linden Board of § held last year in multiple burials. Funeral services were held last years of growing up in Linden and how Recreation Commissioners has § According to the complaint, Saturday from the Leonard-Lee gets eye injury released its meeting schedule for | it was as a borough and before it Berardinelli on Feb 28.