The Daily Alaska empire., 1949-12-03
RESCUE UNDER
 WAY; WOMAN IS 5IDENTIFIEDI'
Boats Standing by Await ing High Tide-- Doctor
 on Scene All Night

The woman killed in yesterdays plane crash near Wrangell was identified positively today as Mist Margaret Annis, about 40, who until three weeks ago was a nurse at St. Ann's Hospital in Juneau. She was from Puyallup. Wash.
 She was enroute to take posi- tion as nurse in the Wrangell Hos- pital, and was travelling under the assumed name of Margaret Bell for undivulged personal reasons. .
 Four other passengers. one of whom suffered two broken legs, and Pilot Mike Fenster of tho Alaska Coastal Airlines Grumman seaplane, were huddled in trap per's cabin about mile from the Stikine Flats where the plane went down during sudden snowstorm at l1:05 a m. yesterday after leav- ing Petersburg Eound for Wran- gell. According to reports, Fenster wished to "sit down" until the storm abated. and apparently mis- took the flats for water in the heavy snow.
 A Petersburg-based Coast Guard cutter and the river boat Totem were standing by awaiting high tide. to pick up the survivors. Other boats, owned by Al Ritchie of Wrangell were standing by to att tempt salvage of the plane. which lost one wing and an engine.
 DOCTOR ON SCENE
 The passengers were being cared for while awaiting the tide, by pr. John Bangeman, flown ir from Wrangell. The location was the Garland Breeze cabin, located on Dry Island.
 Most seriously injured was A. "zeke" Dale, who suffered two broken legs. Others who sustained bruises were June Otness of Peters- burg, Harry Dierks of Wrangell, and Dave Dreibelbus of Juneau, who boarded the plane at Peters burg, and Fenster. whose home is bere.
 Ritchie, the Wrangell river pilot, expected to get the passengers and pilot down river to tidewater this morning at the II o'clock high tide, using shallow-draft river boat. The cutter was to assist in trans porting them to Wrangell
 Shell Simmons, airlines CO., manager, and O. s. Beneke. general manager. left this morning from Juneau for the scene to direct pos- sible salvage operations. and to aI in investigation of the crash. John Bowen, CAA safety director, was due on the scene today.
 Miss Annis came to Juneau about three months ago and worked as a nurse in St. Ann's Hospital until about three weeks ago, when she eft to visit her Puyallup home. She returned several days ago, but Was unable to go back to work here, so located the position in Wrangeil.
 WAS U. s. MATRON
 She had acted as matron for the US. Marshals office here, Deputy Marshal Sid Thompson said. in tak- ing an insane person to Portland about two months ago.
 Her nearest relative was listed as M. H. Clements. who operates bulb farm and funeral parlor in Puyallup. He is married to her sis ter.
 Dale had worked aboard the Loat Adak at Hood Bay until several weeks ago. coming to Juneau at that time. His son in Ketchikan expected him there. but he was de- layed in taking off.
 Dreibelus is Juneau repair agent for the Burroughs Adding Machine company.
 There was no one with an eye injury as was reported from Peters purg yesterday.
 FIRST ACCIDENT
 The accident caused the first pas- senger fatality and injuries since the Alaska Coastal was formed by a partnership arrangement ten years ago. and the first time plane has been damaged since l945, company officials said today.
 The plane is fully insured, they said.
 Sleeping bags and other necessi- ties were dropped from the air late yesterday. The cabin was said
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