Seward daily gateway., 1924-12-06
HEAVY DAMAGE
 DONE KANATAK
 BY RECENT GALE
Total of Ten Buildings Were Washed Away-Blazer
 Goes on Beach

Claud Shea, special prohibition of ficer returned on the Starr today from a trip to the westward. Comment ing on the recent gas strike at Kan atak, MT. Shea said gas came up in sufficient quantities to force the water from the pipes at rate of one thousand barrels a day. MT. Shea said that there was no oil yet, and that conditions would not warrant stampede, as it would be three or four months and maybe more, before the drill again reaches the point where the gas was struck. Cable, cement and rope were used to plug the hole, and the flow of water was stopped. Gas and water were seep- ing in through the plugs when MT. Shea went to the well, and saw for himself the indications of gas. Talk ing with several people in the vicin- ity of the we'll, they said that indica- tions for oil were of the best. The Standard Oil employees gave out no information and were very reticent as to indications. As soon as the first oil bubble was sighter the men had the we'll under control. A big pipe with a nipple is on hand and any flow of oil or gas can be handled.
 Earl Grammar declares that indi- cations look like oil to him. MT. Grammar is a geologist of note.
 Speaking of his trip MT. Shea says that 75 gallons of whiskey and 1000 bottles of beer were seized. The town was as dry as the proverbial cork leg all the time the officer was in port, with no signs of drunken ness.
 A heavy storm with extreme high tide struck Kanatak Thanksgiving day doing considerable damage to buildings and otherwise destroying property. While the storm was not as bad as last year it did consider able damage to buildings in Old Town, the water flooding the build ings of Laurititzen, Louis JOhnsOn's butcher shop, Wodin's home, and a number of homes and cabins. Many of the latter floated away. The office of the Kanatak Lighterage Company was completely demolished. Chas Madsen's store had about one foot of water in it. The Blazer used as a lighter, was again washed ashore at a point near the Standard Oil Com pany buildings, taking her mOOrings, a 1000 pound anchor, and everything with her. She now stands 20 feet above high tide. The Edith, a gas boat, was washed up in the middle of the street. The wind blew at an estimated velocity of 90 miles an hour, but did not come directly in the harbor, coming from an easterly di- rection.
 On the second day of the storm, October 2S, the wind blew directly into the harbor, and everybody thot the town would go. Strangely enough the water did not get within 14 inches as high as it did the day before. Ev- cry available team was used to move the stock of goods and inhabitants into the hills. All doors and windows were nailed up and buildings barri- caded. The Kanatak foot bridge was washed out and the new government bridge was covered with water and would have washed out but for Mrs. Hjalmar Evans, who secured help and removed quantity of drift and logs from the bridge, preventing it from washing away.
 A total of about ten houses were moved by the flood. The Kanatak Lighterage Co. suffered the greatest damage, estimated at about 5000. Lo- cal residents estimated the damage done at about $5OOO. During the storm Nels Christianson nearly lost his life by dory capsizing with him. He crawled up on the dory and was blown ashore.
 MT. Shea was accompanied by MT. Warren Harding, federal prohibition agent. At Uzinkie MT. Harding stop ped off 30 minutes and gathered in a 3O-gallon still, but the owner had talk en to the hills and was not found. Bad weather was encountered the en- tire trip.
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