The Daily Alaska empire Newspaper, November 23, 1936, Page 1

THE ,DAILY ALA SKA EMPIRE “ALL THE NEWS ALL THE TIME” VOL. XLIX., NO. 7337. MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS PRICE TEN CENTS 21 CAUGHT IN HUGE JUNEAU AVALANCHE » * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ONE DEAD, 11 MISSING, NINE INJURED UNIONS BLOCK MOVEMENT OF ALASKA SHIPS Refuse to NEn—Crah Oper- ated by Firms in Strike Agreement STATEMENT ISSUED BY SHIP OWNERS ASSN. Wilson Goe;-s_o—uth to Meet Colonel Ohlson— One Alternative SAN FRANCISCO, Cal, Nov. 23. —Hope dwindled this afternoon for emergency operation of vessels to relieve possible distress in Alaska, the Pacific Coast Committee for the Shipowenrs Association an- nounced. Col. Otto F. Ohlson, General Manager of the Alaska Railroad, has been refused a union personnel to man the ships so long as they are operated by firms represented on the coast committee. But apparently there is an alter- native remaining and that is the Government could charter, as con- tained in the Executive Order is- sued to the Alaska Railroad, and hire crews under the name of the Federal Government. Union heads nave not as yet| answered Ohlson’s request of their attitude toward that phase of the situation. Col. Ohison indicated that he might go to Seattle to seek vessels for charter. Association’s Statement The statement issued by the Pa- cific Coast Committee of the Ship Owners Association said: “Col Ohl- son advised the unions the Gov- ernment had offered to employ members of the maritime unions to man the ships on the same conditions prevailing at the time the strike was called, also further agreement on the part of the Gov- ernment to give the crews the re-| troactive benefits in event of any (Continued on Page Two) —to—— LA STRIKE AT VANCOUVER BUT BOATS LOADED Eleven Hundred Work Deep | Sea Craft—Not Affect B.C.or Umon Co. VANCOUVER B. C, Nov. 23— The waterfront is today picketed | for the first time since last sum- mer as members of the Interna- tional Longshoremen’s Association put in effect the strike announced last Saturday. According to William Taylor, spokesman, two hundred members, the entire menfbership, are on the picket line which extends along the entire waterfront. No additional police are posted. Canary Lives Through Big Avalanche While volunteer workers were fe- verishly gligging through debris and muck to reach possible survivors, among the articles passed up from the tunnel they were making was a battered bird cage with a tiny, apparent lifeless canary in it. E. S. Evans picked it up and after warming, the bird revived. Mrs. Gus Erickson, it is said,) raised canaries and the little fellow that was rescued last night is be- lieved to have belonged to her. —oo—— FOUR PROBABLE SLIDE VICTIMS WERE AT DINNER |Cold Preve;ts_Tony Crav- iolini from Attending— Vanalis, Battello Missing If he hadn’t had a bad cold, Tony } Craviolini would have been caught | in the slide that destroyed the Nick- | inovich apartments. in which his friends, Mr. and Mrs. Joe Vanali (Giovanali), their three-year-old daughter Lorraine and Pete Battello, their dinner guest, have probably lost their lives. Craviolini, former proprietor of the Gastineau Cafe, had given the Vanali's a turkey and agreed to have | | dinner with them Sunday. When Pete Battello, called for him yester- day, Tony's cold was so bad that) fhe thought he should stay home, | lor, if he were going out, that he| should go to the hospital instead. So| Pete went to the dinner party, and promised to bring Tony back some turkey broth. | When he heard of the slide, Cravi- | olini suffered a4 shock that decided his doctor to send him to the hos- pital. Today the tragedy through which | he lost his friends, its nearness fo |him have Tony puzzled. He can't| 'quite believe his narrow escape. | Joe Vanali, (a contraction of his |surname, Giovanali), was about 32| years old. For the last eight months | he has been maintenance man at the Gastineau Hotel. Previously he was |employed by H. B. Foss, architect and contractor, in his trade as elec- trician. Vanali had come to Alaska {from California where he was in the electric contracting business. Any relatives of the Vanali's are thought to be in California. Pete Battello, about 50 years old, has lived in Juneau many years. He was the proprietor of the North Transfer Company and an active member of the Moose Lodge. He has ia brother, nephew and other rela- | tives living in Seattle. MAKI CAUGHT EARTH SLIDE August Maki, one-legged veteran of the A. J. Mine, hobbled out of a business place he was visiting when the lights went out. Before he had taken many steps some- thing struck his leg, hurling him down. Darkness prevented him from Loading operations contiwte at|knowing the cause. Someone ap-* top speed as almost 1,100 men were |peared at a distance with a flasn- dispatched from the headquarters|light, crawling towards it he was of the British Columbia Shipping|picked up and then taken to St. Federation to work the deep sea|Ann's Hospital for aid. | vessels. 4 o BN MR Officials of the British Columbia g = 4 Steamship Company and Union | Steamship Company reported their | STock QuoTATIONS | lines are not affected by the ILA{ NEW YORK, Nov. 23. — Closing strike. quohmm of Alaska Juneau .mine Large numbers of farmers are|stock today is 15, American Can arriving here from the interior|123%, American Power and Light willing to work on the docks. 11, Anaconda 49%, Bethlehem Steel 68%, Calumet and Hecla 14, Co- lumbie Gas and Electric 17%, Com- monwealth and Southern 3%, Gen- eral Motors 69, International Har- vester 98, Kennecott 59, New York Central 41%, Simmons 44%, South- ern Pacific 40%, United States Steel FURTHER DANGER {Residents Movm Homes on Hil ?s:de— Water Pouring Down Danger of additional slides loomed over Juneau and vicinity this af- ternoon as rain continued to fall, though in apparently decreasing quantities. Residents were moving out of many houses on the hillside between the district back of the Gasineau Hotel and the Alaska Ju- neau mill. Water was pouring down the various streams and cracks were reported in the earth in several places. The long, per- sistent rain has loosened the earth from bedrock, workmen stated. While ceasing for a time this morning, the rainfall in November up to midnight last night had reached 20.31 inches and between 10 p. m. Saturday and 10 p. m. Sunday 3.89 inches fell. The pre- vious record for November ‘is 20.51 inches in 1890 and indications this afternoon were that the 1890 mark would be surpassed. RED CROSS ON JOB AIDING IN RESCUE WORK Organization Helping Refu- gees—Providing Lunch- es for Workmen Chief John Newmarker, Chairman of the Juneau Red Cross, threw his organization into the battle and today Red Cross workers were aid- ing refugees and providing hot cof- fee and lunches for the weikmen. Chairman Newmarker said his 72%, United Corporation 6%, Cities Service 3%. Pound $4.89%. DOW, JONES AVERAGES The following are today’s Dow, Jones - averages: industrials 178.64, rails 54.73, utilities 34.43. ¥ organization was at command of those in distress and would stay on the job until the tragic work was completed. The Chief was on the in person and directing such work as his organization was called upen to do. OF SLIDES AS RAIN CONTINUES Out of| Scenes at Tragedv Avalam'lm in Junoau Sundm | | | { | | 1 | [ | L 1 f | | | | | | |across the street; Gyer's Sacet Metal Shop; | |iety Store; Snow White Launc RESIDENTS TRAPPED AS BIG DIRT SLIDE ROARS DOWN ON LOWER FRANKLIN STREET ‘Apartment House, Boarding House, Two Residences Swept Away with Many Occupants; Light Cut Hampering Efforts at Rescue; Men, Women and Children Among Those Unaccounted for; Fire Breaks Out to Add to Horror; May Be Days Before Total Number of Fatalities Are Known; Many Busi- ness Houses Also Damaged One person is dead, 11 are known missing and eight are ured, two seriously, as the result of one of the worst slides !in Juneau history roaring down the side of Mount Roberts t 7:30 o’clock last night, taking four houses in its path and llea\inz a pile of debris 20 feet deep and about 75 feet wide on I(m er Franklin Street opposite the Juneau Cold Storage plant. DEAD MRS. GUS ERICKSON, wife of Gus Erickson. KNOWN MISSING MR. AND MRS. HUGO PETERSON, parents of Miss | Lillian Peterson of the Alaska Game Commission, who herself |narrowly escaped. PETE BATTELLO of the North Transfer Company. MRS. FRED MATSON, wife of Fred Matson, jeweler on |Second Street. MR. AND MRS. JAMES F. HOAG and Mrs. Hoag’s son, |Furrest Beaudin. Mrs. Hoag is the mother of Mrs. William | Alexander. MR. AND MRS. JOE VANALI and 3-year-old daughter, Lorraine. OSCAR LAITO of Sitka, who had a room at Matson’s. INJURED—IN HOSPITAL AUGUST MAKI—bruises, and is thought to have ankle fracture. ALFRED BATES—deep wound in side, underwent iemergency operation last night, but not thought to be in jcritical condition. GUS ERICKSON—surface cuts and bruises, slightly crushed. ALBERT PERSSON—slight bruises, released from hos- pital last evening. MRS. ALBERT PERSSON—bruises and possible hip ‘injury, not serious. GAIL AND ALLEN PERSSON—slight bruises and cuts. MRS. HAZEL JUSTIN—bruises. MRS. WILLIAM LOTT—leg fractures, bruises, cuts and shock. <t CAUGHT IN SLIDE i 1 The four places caught in the huge avalanche whxéh1 broke away about half way up on the mountainside include: The Nickinovich Apartments, which housed abeut 10 families. The Matson Boarding House. The Hugo Peterson building in which the Peterson fam-.. ily lived on the top floor, the lower street floor being rented ito the Alaska Mine Equipment Company and the R. J. Som- mers Construction Company. offices at the time. The Gus Erickson residence. Other Places Damaged No one was reported in the Places damaged by the landslide incluae: The Wahto Boarding House which is damaged in the |back on Ewing Street; Juneau Cold Storage Company, Monagle's Var- Matt’s Place; the Silver Fox barber shop; Alst-om’s nc shop, and a small house occupied by a longshoreman known as “Scotty.” Officials were unable to ascertain exactly the number that might be buried in the slide this afterncon but it was {certain that some had not been accounted for and there may be others in addition to those named, it was stated. | Terrific Avalanche 1 The terrific avalanche came down over the houses in its | full force approximately at 7:30.0"clock Sunday evening. Sev- eral small ones had preceeded it Sunday afternoon and as early as 3 o’clock some of the residents had started moving out on Gastineau Avenue where a previous slide occurred some weeks |ago. Fortunately, it was pointed out, it was church and show time and several of the persons who usually live in the slide |area had gone out. Mrs. Nickinovich and four children were at the Dapecevich home on Star Hill for dinner when the aval- anche struck. Tearing ifs way down the mediately the fire alarm .” e |steep incline, the slide swept sounded and the whole town power and telephone lines out | turned out as the report with it, cutting off the mm";spnead around that the power line and throwing the|haq éovered a-portiod of m p entire city into darkness, Im- (Continued on Page Eight) With only meager llcht to aid, rescue workers are seen above carrying out Gus Erlck-m last night several hours after the mighty, avalanche struck. Below workers are seen trying to dig into the remains of the Nikinovich Apartment House in an effort to reach more imprisoned residents, (Photo by Ordway’s, Times, World-Wide.) |