w*
 38; NO.-51
An Independent Semi-Weekly New»pop«r Devoted to the   Interest of Central and Northern British Columbia
(Two Sections)
Prince George, B.C., MONDAY. Ju   3 [      1955
$4.00 per year
5c per copy
Iain-Fed Central B.C. Si I jams Stall Traffic n Cariboo Hiway/ PG'
60-Foot Road Gap At Stone Creek; Bridge Smashed; Quesnel Isolated
Highway and railway traffic between Prince George and juesncl was halted early yesterday when the rain-fed Stone ;rcck, 22 miles south of this city went on a rampage, swept iVay a portion of the Pacific Great Eastern span and gouged .jghr-foot-deep channel across 60 feet of the north end of he highway bridge.
This morning reports from many points along the PGE ihd Highway 2 tell of crumbling road and rail connections on he heels of a torrential rain which deluged west-central B.C. for eight hours.
Quesnel is almost isolated and damage estimated at more han $50,000 is reported at Australian Ranch where buildings vere carried away.   .
South of Quesnel two big highway fills were swept away and traffic may be tied up for a week.
At Stone Creek early Sunday morning residents were iroused by the roar of tumbling boulders being swept down he swollen stream. Stumps, debris and uprooted trees were  against the east side of the 100-foot wooden bridge, diverting the rapidly rising water against the north bank.
All road traffic ceased at 5 a.m., and two hours later a four-foot channel had been cut across the north side of the lighway.    By noon this breach had widened to 60 feet.
Living quarters of a store and post-office operated by iam McConachie was swept away shortly before a large wplar tree crashed across the building, and occupants of two lomes owned by Louis Plett fled when muddy water started louring through the doors.
Neighbors helped save the contents of the store.
Owner of a nearby garage and house watched anxiously 35 the angry stream widened rapidly and huge sections of the Inorth bank tumbled into the torrent.
Six hundred yards east the torrent battered the superstructure of the PGE bridge, carrying away three piers and leaving rails and ties suspended crazily in the air. One of (the big wooden piers somersaulted downstream and was hurled Dnto the bank near the community of Stoner.
Three telephone poles toppled under the force- of the voter, but communications were restored Sunday afternoon by. North-West Telephone crew from Prince George.
Meantime cars and trucks lined the roadside on both sides f the river. Last night Stone Creek Hotel was jammed with 50 guests and another 30 were sleeping in cars and tents outside.                                                                                       '   i V      M *& .
Dozens of cars returned to Quesnel and Prince George, many of them American tourists.
(See FLOODS, Page 5)         •   '
Accident Victim Still  In  Hospital
Horribly burned six.weeks ago when his clothes caught fire while working at The Cache storage plant of British Canadian Propane Ltd., William Hay is recovering .slowly in St. Vincent's Hospital, Vancouver.
But he will have to remain under the care of a specialist and three private nurses until September.
Three new dressings, each requiring an anaesthetic, are being applied daily.
Woman Drowned When Car Plunges Into Fraser River
V A~young woman was drowned and her companion escaped a similar fate when a car in which they were riding went over a 35-foot bank of the Fraser River, about one-half mile south of, the CNR bridge early Friday morning.
HANSARD PEKRY
Hansard Ferry will not be operating for a few days due to the high water level, Department of Highways announced today.
Third member of Silver Tip Archery Club to kill a bear, with a bow and arrow, secretary Ferry Stroble, performed the feat early this month while hunting north of the'Nechako River 10 miles west of Prince George. Mr. Stroble stalked the black bear from a distance of 30 yards before un leasing a broad head arrow from a 63-pound wood and glass bow. The steel-tipped arrow penetrated the animal's body and lodged in the ground.    The bear weighed about 350 pounds.
Land Owners Elude Committee
Fire Chief Scores Lack Of rofecfion At Power Plants
p
iPS. Chief   August   Dornbierer hi.- levelled some harsh criticism the'fire   protection  measures ivaiUible at the city!s.two power lants mi First Avenue: He suggests that'two 100-pound ¦aiiion dioxide units be installed or maximum protection in case '[ fire,, and also advised the in-tallation. of   a   carbon   dioxide
iutoiiiatic sprinkling system that llcl      operate      automatically n  a   certain   temperature   is cached;
furthermore; added Dornbier-!'i the location of the hydrants ; very inefficient. One hydrant, which is at the 111 i'f the plant, is now covered "!i the water which runs off 1(1 "inling system of the units, 'he,only parUof this hydrant Mich can be seen is the extreme
Only other hydrant in the im-nediate    vicinity    is    over    the tracks near River Road.
¦his  location,   according   to   the n!Qfi is far too remote. Type ¦ of   construction   of   the ritish Columbia Power Commis-'"n plant, which is at the rear
tlf   the   city-owned   building,, is*
p'linjuy to regulations, the chief
[vent on to Say. ^M;i{   BOARD
Apparently, the walls' of this Jljfling, which is now housing ic IK'PC generating unit, and "''h will accommodate another noi'tly, are made of paper board, particular type of board
is easily impregnated with the combustible fumes which come off the engines.
Dornbierer told The Citizen that the .walls of this building present a  particular hazard.
He has constantly reminded the supervising engineers3' of the Power Commission of the danger of the plant, and that it is_»built contrary to city regulations.
"The- power plant is their baby," he adcled in referring to the B.C. Power Commission.
Dornbierer said he is constant: ly reminded of the two disastrous fires which damaged the city power plant at the beginning of the year. On each occasion the city went under a complete blackout.
Park Infringement |L     To $208 Fine
A "picnic" on top of Connaught ' °nc of the city's most attrac-'parks area, turned out to be ri" ^Pensive one for four young F"rm last week.
'••;ich °f the quartet was fined '¦)l) and costs when found con-- ininp beer in that area by two -°nstab"les.
L(Tnlf  fincs collected from, the |l 'nickers was $208.
J.ne  alternative   was   spending
' flays in jail.
Poor Roads Share Blame For Delay fit New Hospital Plans
Plans of Prince George and District Hospital Society to form a hospital improvement district as the first step leading to the construction of an up-to-date 150-bed hospital have been slowed by inaccessible roads and lack of proper addresses of property Owners.
Approval of a minimum of 70 per cent of the registered property owners in the Unorganized portion of the proposed hospital district must be secured before.
the  Provincial ¦• Government. 1VI11
consider the project.    ..¦..-•«.
Following' a canvass started last August the canvassing committee was able to obtain the approval of 1187 of the approximately 2100 land owners in the district which embraces the same area as School District 57.
Early this year the committee launched a determined drive to contact an additional 300 owners in order to secure the required number of signatures. However, they were hampered by a number of factors, including the poor condition of the roads leading to some of the properties, absentee owners, and the fact that many of the properties had changed hands, some of them several times, since the canvass was started nearly a year-ago.
Registered letters, were forwarded to the last known addresses of many property-owners in isolated regions of the 20,000-square-miie district, but in some cases these have been returned marked "unclaimed—address" unknown."                       . • SETBACKS.
In spite ,of these setbacks the committee has .obtained the signatures -of an additional 205 land owners. Only seven of these refused to consent to the hospital proposal, of which five have See NEW HOSPITAL,  Page 3
Clerk Nabs Woman Shoplifter
Sequel toa shoplifting raid on the Hudson's Bay Company's Third Avenue store was played out in police court this
morning.
Leona" (Mrs. Theodore) McLeod pleaded guilty to the theft of two sport shirts from the men's wear department of the store.
The theft took place Saturday afternoon. !                "%;
R. G. Lawrence, store manager, said that the woman was picked up by one of the store's employees just as she was leaving the building. She had the two shirts, worth $7.95 each, tucked under her coat
The employee took her to the manager's office and a constable was immediately called.
Police Magistrate set bail at $-100 pending enquiries about her previous criminal record from RCMP ¦headquarters-at-Ottawa—
Giscome Delegates Attend  Convention
Fifteen delegates from the Giscome congregation will be among some 25>000 who. are: expected to attend a five-day assembly of Jehovah's Witnesses in the Empire Stadium at Vancouver.
J. L. Gray, presiding minister, will head ihe delegation from Giscome.                                    .'•     •¦¦¦      •
WEATHER
"More rain" is the general tone of today's weather forecast.
Cariboo, Prince George "and Bulkley Valley are going to have clouds and scattered showers today and tomorrow.
Low temperature tonight and high tomorrow at Prince George and Quesnel is 52 and 70; Smith-ers; 52 and 65.
8 Cars Damaged In Weekend Collisions
Minor accidents involving $800 in damages and sending one person to hospital occurred in Prince George and its vicinity during the week-end.
On the Nechako Hill yesterday afternoon cars driven by Stan Benson and Albert Burrell collided. One of the passengers was taken to hospital with facial cuts but was later released.
On Burden Street, .Charles F. Neal ran into a parkdd car owned' by Edward Belsham. Damage totalled  $150.
. At the corner of First Avenue and George Street- Saturday afternoon a head-on collision occurred between vehicles driven by Peter Southerland and Jules A. Moyen. Damage was estimated, at $200.
' Collision between . two cars at the First Avenue railroad crossing resulted in $350 in damages to the vehicles.- The cars were driven by John Phillipson and Max W. Bernhart.
Labor Disputes Seen At Kilimat
VANCOUVER, June 27 (CP) — Guerilla warfare between rival unions will continue "for years" at Kitimat, B.C., unless Alcan workers are permitted to vote for the union of their choice, a CIO official said here.
Wally Ross, in an interview, said his Steelworkers would continue to press for such a vote, covering 1,200 production workers at the aluminum smelter.
Mr. Ross was exposed a year ago as a Steelworkers organizer after he masqueraded as an official of the Aluminum Workers of America (AFL), a rival body.
The provincial Labor Relations Board has concluded hearings on the situation, including an application by the steelworkers for certification and protest by the AWA..            ".             •
Stranded Motorists Besiege Trade Board Headquarters
N<r one knows .more about the effecTr~of~a~rodcl~being~blocked-than does Mrs. Ruth Jones, secretary of the Board of Trade.    •
This morning, a score of callers- from all parts of British Columbia, Alaska and the North-West Territories visited the Trade Board office on George St.                                                 •¦-     •
One  irritated  traveller suggested  that the army  be brought  in.
However, most, of them were looking for suggestions as to how they should spend the next few days or finish off their trip.
Some will have their holidays shortened,  others will be late  for work.
Mrs. Jones has had to placate them all and she thinks that there will be dozens of other callers before th« day is ovtr»
Flood  Separates  Pair
A Fairbanks, Alaska, man and his wife, separated for three months, ¦ greeted each other yesterday from opposite banks of the Cariboo Highway at Stone Creek. Ralph Childer was motoring from Seattle to Prince George,- and his wLfe had flown down  to meet* him..--.
Marjorle Hicks, 32, whose home is at Buffalo Creek, 20 miles south of Williams Lake, was drowned when a car driven by Robert Yargeau, city man, backr ed over the bank" and tumbled into the deep; swift running waters of the Fraser River.
The fatality occurred when Yargeau was turning around at the junction of Taylor Drive and Seventeenth Avenue.
Apparently when the driver was backing up he lost control of the vehicle, sending it over the river bank  backwards.
The 19-17 model car somersaulted into the river below with the young  lady  trapped  inside.
Yargeau leaped through an open door and ran hysterically to a neighboring house where" the police were notified at 2:45 Friday mQrnlng.
He was taken to hospital where he underwent treatment for shock and lacerations.
The car was completely demolished with fenders, hood, and all glass broken.
A wrecker was called to the scene at about 3 a.m.
At daybreak police were dragging the river in an effort to recover the victim's body, but the search was later abandoned because   the   fast   running   waters
Strait Baffles Four Swimmers
VICTORIA, June 27 (CP) Logger Bert Thomas of Tacoma, Wash,, tired from his third attempt to swim the Strait of Juan De Fuca Thursday, gave up his fourth try at 4 p.m. Sunday after swimming only six miles from here.
Thomas, the second man to try to swim between here and Port Angeles, Wash., in 24 hours, re luctantly gave up after it was decided he was not making enough  progress.
Bill Muir, 36, of Saanich gave up earlier Sunday morning after suffering cramps in his legs and hip. He had swum 15 of the 18.3 miles.
Today, a Roman Catholic priest, Rev. John Donelon of Toronto, gave up after-swimming.only two hours,
Later today 18-year-old Janice White, also of Toronto, was scheduled to attempt grossing the fun beaten strait.
Employment Picture Brightens Despite Influx 02 Transients
"There  is  no  doubt   that  thisljorily   come   from   Saskatchewan will  be a good year for employ-  where  crops  have  been  hardest
ment," said Edward W. Mus-grove, ' employment supervisor with the Unemployment Insurance Commision, in an interview
hifby floods and drought.
Such skills-as kitchen workers and attendants are expected to be    absorbed   by   the   week-end
with The Citizen at the week-end.   when many oE tne sawmills will
He was commenting on the general employment picture in this area.     .-------—-—.
'There is a widespread interest in this*3 district the supervisor said.    •                              ,
He has been receiving six to ten letters a'-, day from people across the continent inquiring abount employment possibilities in the Prince George area.   .
Right now there are only 784 people oh unemployment benefits here. It is anticipated that a majority of them will be going back to work before the end of the week when more mills open up.
' ' Friday afternoon there—were 938 unemployed men and 143 unemployed women.
At the same time, according to U1C records, 203 vacancies were open.
Five hundred, and fifty men were enrolled at the employment office for jobs with the sawmills or logging, operations Friday afternoon. It is expected that this number will  dwindle  this week.
However, there is a shortage of construction workers. At tl|e i present time, at least ten qualified carpenters are needed. This figure is expected to swell as the construction period develops during the summer months.
According to UIC estimates, a great number of men have been coming here from the prairies in an effort to find employment. Ma-
be opening "up.
"Many of the men who worked in the woods are now turning to the field of construction for employment," Musgrove said.
In the line of construction there were 160 applicants and 5-1 vacancies.
Figures change sharply every day, he said, because of " the transient character of the working force.
had carried the body far downstream.
Miss Hicks moved to this city a couple of months ago and had been employed at Marion's Cof-ee Shop, 1264 Sixth Avenue.
Yargeau has been employed by Lee's Transport as a truck driv-
Heavy Sentences For Sex Offenders
NEW WESTMINSTER, June 27 (CP) — Mr. Justice H. S. Wood, claiming there is an "epidemic >f sex offences in the Fraser Valley", Friday sentenced six youths to penitentiary terms and paddlings.
Harold Matson, 19, .and Walter Mandy, IS, were sentenced to four year's and six strokes of the paddle each for attacks . on two 15-year-old Vancouver girls. Lawrence Blair, 19, was sentenced to three and a half years and six strokes of the paddle on the same charge: ..   .
Williams Bloen, 20, received four years and six strokes; William Shore, 21, three and a half years and six strokes, and his brother, Ken, 16, two and a half years and six strokes. They were convicted of attacking a 16-year-old Matsqui, B.C. girl,
DR. R. LAMONT-HAVERS
CARS Specialist Here Next Month
Dr. R. Lambnt-Havers, medical director of the B.C. Division of the Canadian Arthritis and Rheumatism Society, will visit Prince  George July 7 and  8.
As a representative of the CAR'S travelling medical consultant service, he will confer with local doctors and hold a diagnostic clinic for referred patients.    ¦
While in the city he will meet T. O. Torgerson, president of Prince George branch of CARS; Miss Jean Baillie, CAR'S physiotherapist in this district, and other branch members.
Other points he will visit on his tour of central and northern B.C. include Quesnel, Williams Lake/Vanderhoof, Dawson Creek, Pouce Coupe and Fort St. John.
This will be Dr.. Lamont-Hav-ers' last trip to this section of the province. On October 1 he will take over his new position as associate director of the American Arthritis and Rheumatism Foundation in New York City.    .
Millman Fined For Ignoring Order To Close Hansard Camp
Charged with failure to comply with an order issued by the medical health officer to close his camp, J. Misiura, operator of Hansard Spruce Mills, was fined ¦$75"i"ntl ~costs">vhen~he appcarcd-before Stipendiary Magistrate Stanley M. Carling on Friday.
The camp was visited by sanitary inspector Steve Mazur of the Cariboo Health Unit last-March when sanitary conditions were found to be a menace to the health of the firm's employees.
Misiura was instructed to close the camp by Ap/il 30, and* court action followed when he ignored the order,
Off The Wires
(Canadian Press, Monday, June 27,)
Baptists Seek Ban On Sex And Crime Comics
VANCOUVER—The regular Baptist church of British Columbia will ask the federal and provincial governments to bon from entry into Canada "all salacious . literature "calculated to undermine the moral standards of. our youth."
The church organization at its convention here urged the ban be given special emphasis against "so-called comics" publicizing crime and sex.
B.C. Electric May Build Eight Dams On Fraser River
VICTORIA—B.C. Liberal leader Arthur Laing has predicted a major power development on the Fraser River, involving construction of eight dams by the B.C. Electric.
Mr. Laing told an Esquimolt Liberal nominating convention that "A Canadian company, probably within a month, will make application for power rights  on  the  Fraser  River."
He named  B.C.   Electric following  the meeting.
BC.E Vice-President Tom Ingledow said the "firm was._ "actively interested" in the Fraser, but "The BCE is not considering any immedaite application for power development rights on the river."'
Forest Management Licence Sends Shares Sky-Rocketing
VICTORIA__Shareholders  of  B.C.   Forest   Products  have  been  enriched
by $9,000,000 because the firm was granted a forest management licence on April  19,'Liberal leader Arthur Laingcharged here.      ..
In an all-out attack on the Social Credit government's forest policies, Mr. Laing said: "I'm standing right behind Gordon Gibson, because he stands against big money."                                                                                                  —>
The Liberal party leader said B.C.F.P. shares were selling for $9 on April 19; when the license was granted by Forests Minister Robert Sommers.
.:_____!'Ldoa't_kno_W-._wbar.Jncy, arc today, but on Thursday they were up to
$13.50 a share," he said/adding that B.C.F.P. had 2,000,000 shares on the market.
VANCOUVER—A $1,400 jewellery theft was reported here today by Mrs. Gladys Brambley who said thieves broke into her West End dress shop overnight. A $500 diamond ring, a $750 ring and a $150 bracelet were taken.                ¦       .    '                                                                        .
, • PRINCE RUPERT—Dr. R. G. Large of Prince Rupert has been elected Grand Master of the Masonic Order in B.C. He succeeds Carl Warwick of Vancouvtn