CHicrn photo* by Davr Miln**
From destruction to repair took 25 hours after this power line tower near Bednesti Lake collapsed. At left supervisor Bob Rerie (white hat) looks at buckled tower leg where a lineman was pinned. Night work (centre) turns the area into a science fiction scene. At right the new tower in place today.
TOWER FALLS
Mills, mines lose power
by TOM NIXON Citizen Staff Reporter
Electrical power that provides jobs for thousands from Vanderhoof to Hazelton was restored today at 11:20 a.m.,
25 hours after a B.C. Hydro transmission tower collapsed.
The 100-foot high steel V-tower, supporting the main 500,000-volt feeder line to the Bulkley Valley, was being repaired when it suddenly buckled and fell to the ground, trapping a lineman and breaking his leg.
The collapse cut all industrial and some residential power in an area from Vanderhoof, about 85 kilometres west of Prince George, to Hazelton, 385 kilometres west.
Industry affected includes the Endako molybdenum mine, two copper mines near Granisle, Plateau Mills at Vanderhoof, Babine Forest Products at Burns Lake, Northwood Timber at Houston and a number of smaller mills in the area.
The Hydro tower collapsed as linemen were preparing to replace a damaged longitudinal piece of angle steel in one of two legs that support the tower.
Steel lacing that completes the truss section had been unbolted from the damaged steel for about 10 feet and the bolts connecting it to the base had been removed.
it was while 27-year-old lineman Dave Gilmore was continuing the removal from the outside of the 30-inch-square trussed leg that it buckled near his feet and the four-ton tower crumbled.
Linemen say the replacement procedure is not uncommon and engineers had indicated the three remaining longitudinals with their lacing would support the tower and the power lines.
Supervisors on the accident site, however, admitted the tower had been damaged by a bulldozer doing ‘‘grooming’ ’ work a few years ago.
"Grooming” involves clearing brush and tilling the right-of-way to encourage grass to grow rather than trees.
The steel bent by the bulldozer was the member being replaced when the tower collapsed.
'No time for anything'
Hydro regional manager Don Swoboda said the circumstances of the accident involve a ‘‘complex structural situation”.
Production supervisor Bob Kerie said the collapse will have to be analyzed in detail before the exact reason is determined. Kerie declined to comment about any danger involved in replacing the structural steel member.
A lineman on the ground under the falling wires said he didn’t see any flashes as the conductors, loaded with 500,000 volts of electricity, touched ground.
“I was trying to figure out which way to run,” he said, “but there wasn’t time for anything.”
A survey of major timber and mining companies west of here showed some workers are being employed in maintenance duty until the power comes back on.
In Vanderhoof, about 150 sawmill workers at Plateau Mills are home after crews Tuesday finished clean-up duties. Vanderhoof is about 96 km west of here.
In Granisle, about 400 workers at Noranda Bell Copper and 330 at Granisle Copper Ltd. are either doing maintenance duty or clean up or staying at home — whatever their choice.
At the Canex Placer Ltd. molybdenum mine in Endako,
600 workers are either doing maintenance or clean-up.
In Houston, 320 km west of here the Northwood Pulp and Timber sawmill is also affected by the power shutdown but no company officials were available for comment.
Babine Forest Products in Burns Lake about 300 km we.»t of here, is also hit by the power outage and workers are employed on maintenance and clean-up duty. There are about 200 workers there.
A number of smaller companies were also affected.
Trapped workman awoke screaming
Hydro worker Dave Gilmore said from his hospital bed today that he doesn’t remember the tower he was working on Wednesday falling.
“I woke up pinned in the steel screaming,” he said.
Gilmore, tied to the falling tower by a safety harness, was thrown against it battering his face, and the buckling steel pinned his leg.
He termed the mishap an "occupational hazard” and says he’ll go back to work as soon as possible but said he’s still stunned by the suddenness of the collapse.
"I had about five crosspieces undone when it sort ol shook,” he said.
Gilmore said he didn’t have time to think about the danger of being electrocuted if the lines fell on him.
He said he was in considerable pain and when he saw the grass burning around him he was afraid the electricity was still on.
"I got a little upset at one point and bent a piece of steel away.”
Gilmore’s been working here for the hydro authority foi about 20 months since coming from Manitoba. His wife is a maternity nurse at the same hospital Gilmore’s resting in.
The
Wednesday, May 10,1978 Vol. 22; No. 91
20* Copy
Prince George, British Columbia
TODAY
"Why is ft that whenever we meet you seem to think about fs Inflation?’
(featured inside)
TV listings included in Mid-Week supplement.
Farm visitors. Page 33.
• The Big Six Softball Association opens today with a new look and a long tournament. Page 17.
.........8 Family..................... ....12, 13
City, International..........
H.C..2, 3,9, 10, 14, 15,33,45 Morberi; column...
Classified................... ...........5
Crossword................
Editorial.................... .........4
Entertainment.......... ..42-44
c
THE WEATHER
J
The forecast for Prince George today is for mainly sunny skies with some cloudy periods. Friday is expected to be mainly cloudy with afternoon showers and a chance of thundershowers.
The expected high today is 14, the low 2. The high Tuesday was 14, the low 2, with no precipitation. On this date last year the high was 22, the low 3.
NOW HEAR THIS
• A federal government office manager in Prince George noted, “One of the reasons this office is so successful is because we’re 3,100 miles from Ottawa.”
% Frank Selby and Hobbie Dow almost froze when their canoe flipped over in West Lake Sunday. But the Prince George teenagers warmed up in a hurry when they struggled ashore and found two couples with a boat had been watching their battle. Their only comment was a sneering “How’s the water?”.
t Fraser-Fort George Regional District chairman Harold Mann of Prince George is wondering if people in Valemount really know we’re here. At a recent meeting he attended there, village representatives said they were glad to have the regional chairman in town. They asked him how things were in Kamloops.
FIRST BREAK IN STRIKE
BCR rolls
refi
by JAN-UDO WENZEL
Citizen Staff Reporter
The first break in the 22-day-old strike against Husky Oil in Prince George came today as the B.C. Railway began running again.
Husky officials and representatives of the Oil, Chemical and Atomic Workers Union were to meet today for talks, the first time since the strike by 36 refinery employees started April 19.
Operations of the BCR were halted Monday night, when the Joint Council of Railway Unions charged the railway was engaged in strikebreaking by using supervisors to service the refinery. All freight traffic stopped and the passenger service was operated by supervisors.
A meeting was held in Vancouver Tuesday between the joint council, the BCR and the labor relations board and after several hours of negotiating
Royal couple plans divorce
LONDON (Reuter) - Princess Margaret is to be divorced from Lord Snowdon, her palace announced today.
Margaret, 47, Queen Elizabeth's younger sister who is fifth in line to the British throne, was married in 1960.
The couple has been separated since 1976.
again, nery talks set
the council agreed to have its member return to work.
While the railway declines to make an official comment, a source in Prince George said the BCR had agreed not to handle any Husky Oil products for the duration of the strike.
The OCAW can legally picket the spur line leading into the refinery and during the weekend BCR supervisors moved cars in and out of the site.
BCR union employees refused to unload diesel fuel, saying it came from behind a legal picket line.
The railway’s position was that as a common carrier it had to move the goods when requested by a customer.
When the confrontation between the pickets and the diesel engine took place Saturday two union members were bruised when the engine pushed them off the tracks and the BCR has taken steps to file charges of trespassing and mischief against one of the pic-keters.
Today’s meeting between Husky and the union will take place in the presence of provincial mediator Ken Albertini.
The OCAW will appeal a LRB injunction which limits picketing at the refinery to the existing plant and which removed the pickets from the construction entrance to the site, said Philp.
The Prince George and District Council voted to support a ‘hot’ edict against Husky Oil products and turned over $250 to the OCAW’s strike fund.
The ‘hot’ declaration was issued by the Confederation of Canadian Unions and means no union members will handle Husky products.
Schools get go-ahead
by JOHN POPE
Citizen Staff Reporter
Final approval has been given to $3.2 million in school construction here and a special "hurry-up” process initiated for others worth more than S3 million.
Prince George school district trustees were told Tuesday by secretary-treasurer Mac Carpenter the final approval was for the S3.2 million construction of the five local elementary schools.
These are the Red Rock, Shady Valley, Haldi Road, College Heights III and Heritage North elementary schools, which are expected to be completed by January.
Meanwhile Fort George MLA Howard Lloyd has advised Carpenter the ministry of education has approved a special ‘‘split-contract’’ process that will speed up the construction process of other school projects.
This process has been approved for five projects in the school district, worth more than $3 million, at College Heights Secondary, Mackenzie Secondary, and Fort George South, Hart Highway and Pinecone Elementary Schools.
The Pinecone Elementary School is a new school that will be located west of Ospika near Foothills Boulevard.
The other projects are addi-
tions to existing schools. Construction on these schools is expected to begin this fall.
Delays in provincial government approval of school construction here has been a problem local school trustees have been complaining about for years. Up to 2,000 students have been on shift locally in the past few years because of this problem, although none are on shift now.
Education Minister Dr. Pat McGeer acknowledged this during an interview here this weekend and promised “special consideration” was needed and would be given for the effect Northern weather has on the construction season.
PROFESSIONAL GUIDES SAY
'No game royalties wanted'
by DON MORBERG Citizen Staff Reporter
B.C.’s professional guides have denied a claim by the B.C. Wildlife Federation that they want royalties from hunters using their territories.
The wildlife federation’s claim came out of the 1978 conference of the Western Guides and Outfitters in Burns Lake April 5, - 7.
Bill Otway, executive director of the federation, claims Omenica MLA Jack Kempf told guides and outfitters the province is considering legislation giving the guides and outfitters exclusive tenure on their guiding territories.
.This, Otway claims, would mean B.C. hunters would have to seek permission from the guide or pay him royalties to hunt on the property.
Otway’s claims are contained in a bulletin circulated by the wildlife federation, and Otway still stands by his; claims in spite of the disclaimers by the guides and Kempf.
MLA Kempf, however, calls Otway’s statements, "an absolute misouote.”
Kempf said the only reference made to tenure during his speech to the guides and outfitters was with reference 'to the new Wildlife Act. "there was no reference made to ‘absolute’ tenure,” Kempf said. "I was surprised when 1 read the wildlife federation’s recent news release.” •
Kempf said he had never been approached at any time by any guide about absolute tenure.
Kempf strongly criticized the wildlife federation officers for not talking with him before making their claim. "The B.C. Wildlife Federation has not been in touch with me at all.”
Kempf said the attack on him by the federation was, "purely political.”
He noted, "I’m concerned that politics should enter into wildlife management. If it does, we may find ourselves with no game at all.”
Kempf added he did not think absolute tenure was a consideration of the guides and outfitters association.
Howard Lowry, president of the Western Guides and Outfitters Association said, "The associaton’s policy has always been to maintain a fair share of the use of fish and wildlife resources to enable its members to continue their contributions as small businessmen to the tourist economy. From its inception, Western Guides and Outfitters has always recognized the rights of all B.C. residents.” Under current legislation, guides are given exclusive guiding rights to certain territories. Foreign hunters are forbidden to hunt in B.C. without a guide.
B.C. Wildlife Federation executive director Bill Otway said evidence of a desire for absolute tenure by the guides showed up in a submission to the McCarthy inquiry into guiding irregularities.
In that submission, Ottway said, the guides were asking for the same control over their territories that the forestry companies have over land through timber leases.
“That seems clear to me that they are looking for absolute tenure,” he said. “Try going into MacMillan Bloedel’s property and cutting a tree or using a road.” "There was talk of improved tenure at the conference,” Otway said, “The only way they could improve the tenure is to make it absolute. Guides in B.C. have the most secure form of tenure in North America. What else can they get?” Otway said reaction by federation members caused Recreation and Conservation Minister Sam Bawlf to put off any decision about tenure until the findings of the McCarthy inquiry are in.