The Daily Alaska empire., 1947-02-06
News Noies
 from Sitka
(sprc1AL coRRrspoNpENcE)

ESPECIAL CORRESPONDENCk) ] SITKA, Alaska. Feb. 1-The Sitka Laundry and Cleaners was burned out Friday evening At about GAS o'clock, Frank Guertin, owner, left his apartment over the laundry to walk Q half block for some ice cream fer dinner Within two min- utes he heard the fire siren, then a woman screaming for help. Smoke was pouring out of his building, followed almost immed- lately, and his wife and small son were trapped in the apartment.
 The fire department arrived quickly and rescued Mrs. Guertin, the small son and a dog by means of ladders, but were unable to reach a second dog because of smoke. Ali ter the fire the dog was found un- harmed.
 Damage to the laundry from the fire is tentatively estimated at about S5,0o0 The apartment above was damaged by neither fire nor water.
 Origin of the fire is undetermln- ed, but is believed to have started in the drying room and to have been of an explosive nature because of the suddenness of starting and rapidity Of spreading.
 MT. Guertin has announced that he plans to repair the Laudnry im- mediately and reopen for business.
 With the past weeks new record for low temperature-8 below zero Thursday-there were few families that didn't suffer various degrees of distress sometime during the per- i iod Frozen water pipes-in both | hot and cold water systems; frozen drains, with resultant frozen ponds on kitchen floors the following morning; frozen stove oil lines, cracked furnaces; inadequate heat ing facilities Cike Californians, Sit kans have failed to build fer really cold weather) bursting cans of stored food supplies.
 People who managed to keep their water lines open by blow torch and regular checking through out the nights, took in others who were less fortunate and had to abandon their homes until after .gt,;,r v
 Any morning downtown saw men with blowtorches, lengths of water pipe or other plumbing repair ma terials as the only pedestrians.
 Thursday morning the grade school heating plant developed troubles and the school closed un- til afternoon. That afternoon the main waterline between the two schools burst and both schools were closed all day Friday as the heat ing plants had to be turned off.
 With the bursting of the water main, waterpressrue in that neigh borhood was so low that house. wives in nearby homes spent the afternoon under their houses with blowtorches, or called frantically for their husbands to come home and do something.
 A list of families who are house. guests in the homes of more for tunate friends would take up the rest of this column
 A new sight for Sitka are the great blocks of ice along the Cres- cent and the waterfront. The ice is delight to the children, who seem to have improved on the game Eliza crossing the ice" but causes great distress to the adult spectators.
 Dead and dying seagulls on the town streets are another cause Of distress, not only in themselves, hut as an ever present reminder of what the deer must be suffer ing also.
 The High School basket ball team which left for Jneau on a charter cd boat on January 28, expectig to return within ten days, is still III Juneau. unable to return either by boat or plane. Of course, the boys ran out of funds and had to wire