The Daily Alaska empire., 1944-10-14
George ". Louden, Jr., Drowns When Gar Skids Off G|ader Highway, PIunges Info Slough

staff of the Alaska Office of Indian Affairs; was drowned mid-afternoon yesterday, when an Army car, driv- en by Pvt. Norval D. Mathison, skidded off Glacier Highway, short distance on the west side of the bridge near the Switzer ranch and plunged into deep slough and overturned, only the wheels being visible.
 Mathison freed himself from the wreck and tried vainly to extricate Louden. Failing to work his partner loose, he swam to the bank and called for help.
 Several Signal Corps men, passing in car, saw him and stopped at the side of the road and immediately gave assistance. A Yellow Cab taxi, driven by Clarence Sewers, on It's way to pick up fares at the airport, stopped at the wreck. Sewers dove into the water, grabbing Louden by the leg, but could not bring him up, his body apparently wedged in by the wreckage.
 Body Recovered
 The truck was lighted by the Signal Corps men, the body freeing itself, floating out and sank. Sow CTS dived into the muddy cold water of the slough for the second time, bringing Louden to the surface.
 Resuscitation was started im- mediately but to no avail.
 The ambulance was summoned and Louden's body was taken to the Government Hospital, where all attempts to revive him failed. Dr. J. O. Rude and Don Foster, Super intendent of the Office of Indian Affairs, were at the hospital when the ambulance arrived.
 Mathison received cuts on his face and hands when the car dived off the road and was brought to Juneau and received treatment at the dis pensary.
 Time of Accident
 According to notation on Sewers time card at the Yellow Cab office he left the office at 2:04 p. m. to pick up passengers from the Wood- ley plane at the airport. Sewers figures it took him ten minutes to reach the scene, thus the accident happened, evidently, between ? o'clock and 2:15 o'clock.
 Louden, at the time of the fatal accident, was on his way to Aux Bay to board gasboat for an of- ficial trip to Hoonah.
 Probably Hold Inquest
 Today, United States Commission CT Felix Gray announced he will probably hold an inquest into the accident. United States Deputy Marshal Walter Hellan, Prosecut- ing Attorney Robert TolleTsen and Highway Patrolman Emmett Botelho drove out to the scene of the acci- dent to make an investigation.
 Accident Unavoidable
 Army authorities said this morn ing that so far as they were able to determine, the accident was unavoidable and was caused by the truck skidding on the slippery road. They said the car was travel ling at 30 or 35 miles per hour and the driver applied the brakes when the car started to leave the road, this evidently causing 1t to skid towards the slough at fast rate.
 Louden came to Juneau about two months ago to assume his duties as Resettlement Officer with the Alaska Indian Service. Prior to this, he was a social worker with the Territorial Department Of Public Welfare, with headquarters at Fairbanks.
 He was born at Norristown, Penn sylvania, and his body will be shipped there for burial.
 Besides his widow, MT. Louden is survived by two young sons, Richard and George, the family having joined him here about two weeks ago; and his parents, MT. and Mrs. George Louden, Sr, of Centre Square, Pennsylvania.