The Daily Alaska empire., 1950-02-27

 WIFE, DIE
 LIN FLAMES
Charred Remains of We'll Known Couple Found
 in Ashes of Cabin

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 A man and his wife were burned to death yesterday morning when fire of undetermined origin roared through a log cabin on Glacier Highway, over three miles from Ju- neau.
 The cabin, set back 50 feet from the highway and surrounded by a grove of trees. was a furnace of flame by the time the blaze was discovered shortly before a.m, neighbors said.
 First alarm was sent in by Ralph Randall, fisherman, who was driving by. He said he saw smoke billowing from the house. He tried to enter. but the heat--'like a fur nace"-drove him back. He then went to the Johnson Home on the highway and phoned the Juneau fire department. The Juneau fire department with one truck, answering a 2-9 alarm rushed to the scene but could not | fight the flames effectively because the fire had progressed too far. Ammunition exploding also kept those who would have fought the fire away from the house.
 Charred Remains
 The charred remains of Marvin B. (BudD Ross. 39, and his wife Shirley AZ, were found in the ashes of the cabin at pm. by Deputy US Marshal Walter c. Hellan and Alaska Highway Patrolmen.
 Sam Patil Jr.. driver of the Ju- neau fire truck which answered the alarm, said the cabin was nearly consumed by the flames when the ! firemen arrived at 9:25. He said it | was impossible to determine the | cause of the fire. We couldn't get within 100 feet of the cabin because of the intense heat" he said.
 Neighbors said that even the first people to reach the scene of the blaze could not approach the front of the house because of the heat. However, one of them managed to turn off the oil at the outside fuel tank at the side of the cabin. One neighbor, D. w. Mahoney, said that 1t was not known at first that anyone was in the blaz- ing cabin. The Ross car. usually parked in front of the cabin, was | gone.
 | But a search revealed that MT. and Mrs. Ross had left their car in front of the Baranof Hotel after attending party and had gone home early Sunday morning in a ! taxi
 The driver of the cab, Gordon At kinson, reported he took them to their cabin on the highway, leaving Juneau at 6:32 am.
 Remains Found
 Remains of one of the couple was found in what had been the rear of the house, according to Hellan. It was assumed to be that of Mrs. Ross because of womans wrist watch found nearby. Hellan said.
 The second body was found near where the front door had been.
 Neither could be positively identi- fled
 Only the fireplace and chimney and part of the front steps Of the cabin were left standing after the fire.
 The remains of MT. and Mrs Ross were taken to the Charles w. Garter Mortuary.
 Both Employed Here
 Mrs. Ross had been employed for nearly year as Fiscal and Bud- get Clerk in the office of the Gov ernor of Alaska. She was born in Niagara Falls, NY. and was gradu- ated from the Niagara Falls High School and the Brockport Teachers College. Brockport, NY. She had been swimming in- structor and school teacher in Niagara Falls. She joined the De- partment of the Interior here in l946, working for the Fish and Wildlife Service until last year.
 MT. Ross had worked as clerk in the custodian's office of the Fed eral Building for four years. Born in Occur d'Alene. Ida. he served in the. Army during World War II. Prior to coming to Juneau. MT. and Mrs. Ross had resided in Ko- diak. Alaska.
 MT. and Mrs. Ross had been re- decorating their log cabin for sev-