Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - June 7, 1976, Winnipeg, Manitoba Winnipeg free press City news monday june 7, 1976 2nd class mall registration 0286 the 100 Kilometre per hour winds sunday dumped this 18-ton Moabite Home in the Excel Mobile Home Park near Assiniboia Downs. The owner of the Home Wally Komonko said the 75-foot Home valued at was completely destroyed. There were no injuries in i a wind s property toll biggest in St. A a pc still without Power at 8 were once camper tra by Pat Zanger and Brian Cole free press staff writers a severe Thunder wind and rainstorm ripped through Winnipeg sunday afternoon with gusts up to 72 . Knocking out Power lines throughout the City and ravaging property primarily in the St. James Assiniboia area. Spectators a t Assiniboia Downs were showered with shards o Glass As winds smashed windows in the Southwest Corner of the third floor grandstand just prior to the seventh race. At least six people were taken to Hospital with minor lacerations and several others were treated at the track infirmary. Two Portage Avenue trailer companies Birchwood trailer sales and rentals at 3800, and Vanguard trailers Ltd. Across the Street at 3811, estimated damage at As winds blew campers off trucks around poles and across the High Way. Winnipeg weather office Public forecaster de Hoeppner described the dam age As that associated with Tornado his office had unofficial reports of Trees from 12 to 18 inches thick being uprooted he said. Winds were in excess of Gale the roof was ripped off a Home at 65 South Dale drive with damage estimated at said a spokesman from the St. James Assiniboia police department. Lots of Telephone and Hydro lines were Down and traffic lights were out for several hours the spokesman said. But no serious injuries were reported. A North Winnipeg police spokesman said a High ten Sion line blown Down at about 3 . At Selkirk ave nue Between Aikins and Salter streets caused traffic rerouting for about five hours. Other police districts re ported slight damage with a few lines Down a lot of lights out and Trees Bent Over. But accompanying Light Ning struck several major Power sources and started spot fires throughout the City. Subterranean Winnipeg limited a contracting com Pany at 1380 Wall Street estimated damage to a storage shed struck by lightning at the roof Walls and contents were destroyed at . A St. James Home at 14 Russ Holt Street was hit by lightning at . A fire in the attic caused about damage. A fire 10 minutes later at 3 alumni place rafters roof joists and Insu lation for about damage. The Winnipeg fire depart ment reported an unusually Large number of minor fire Calls Between 4 and 6 . But no one was injured in any of the 26 fire Calls an swered a spokesman said. A number of false alarms As Well As burglar alarms were set off by the electrical storm said police and fire department spokesmen. A Manitoba Hydro representative reported Power blackouts in St. Vital and East Kildonan because of lightning. About 300 Bouse holds in St. Vital were without electric Power around . When a main feeder was struck. A substation line to East Kildonan lost to lightning left about 800 customers without Power until 7 . The representative said 120 customers seat throughout the. City about Ter cd were Power at 8 . But nearly All House holds should have electricity by monday morning. Sunday s storm dropped 23.6 Millimetres or just under an Inch of rain on the City. It was terrible the winds came up said Alan Tufts an employee of the Mohawk Gas bar 3777 por Tage Avenue. We were trying to Gas and it was impossible. Trailers were blowing around everywhere. I was trying to save our garbage cans when i saw a truck with a camper turning off Isbister Street onto Portage Avenue. All of a sudden a wind came up and blew the camper off the truck and wrapped it around a we be got at least said Allan Southby owner of the Birch Wood lot As he looked at the twisted heaps of Metal that grandstand Glass cuts fans by Elman Guttormson free press staff writer a severe thunderstorm accompanied by Savage winds turned the grandstand at Assiniboia Downs into a scene of frenzy at . Sunday when it exploded eight Large plate Glass windows which shattered Over the crowd. Six racing fans were taken to Grace Hospital by ambulance where they were treated for minor lacerations and cuts before being released. Several others were treated in the track infirmary. The horses were parading on the track for the featured seventh race when the storm roared in from the South and lashed the track. Suddenly the grandstand windows began to pop Send ing broken Glass flying through the air for approximately 50 feet. The crowd screamed with fright As it scurried to reach safety. Grant Davis and Knute Overby of Woodlands Man. Said the flying Glass looked like tissue paper As the wind whipped it Over the crowd. At the front of the grand stand heavy wooden benches were piled into a Heap along the Fence by the powerful winds. Garbage barrels were tossed about like paper boxes. Suddenly a heavy steel Cage hurtled from the roof of the grandstand and crashed to the pavement near the North East Corner of the grandstand. Moments earlier fans had been standing where the Cage hit. Also tossed from somewhere pos Sibly the roof was a heavy wooden beam which landed about 30 feet from the Cage. The heavy rain obscured the horses parading on the Backstretch. Later it was Learned that Parade marshal Ben Banjamin had led the horses off the track to barn f where they sought shelter. There was no damage in the clubhouse where fans vacated the Box seats because they feared the windows might break. About four minutes later the wind subsided. Track president Jim Wright who was standing in rain and thunderstorms Over White shall provincial Park sunday night were both Blessing and Bane to fire lighters battling to hold a Blaze. The rain which began shortly after 8 ., helped Check the formerly out of control fire according to Dennis Moffatt. Chief of plan Ning for the Manitoba Parks Branch. But the accompanying lightning responsible for spot Flash fires sunday after noon continued to pose threats for about 163 fighting the five he said. We re just keeping our lingers or. Moffalt said in a Telephone interview from Rennie Man., at the Park s Western Boundary on Highway 44. The fire started Friday afternoon near the Junction of Highway 307 and Highway 44 at Muriel Lake. Saturday southeasterly winds pushed flames in a three mile wide strip North about 10 Miles toward Little White Shell Lake and High Way 309 forcing Canoe trip pers Lodge and cottage Resi dents to leave. Highway 309 remained closed sunday and travel on Highway 307 was restricted to cottage owners and campers with special Forest entry or. Moffatt said. Highway 44 and the trans Canada Highway which cuts through the extreme South Eastern Corner of the Park were still open to All traffic. Travel restrictions to the Park posted last week Cut the number of weekend visitors or. Moffatt said although an exact tally has t been made. Traffic has dropped there have been a few minor injuries among fire fighters like sprained wrists but no one has been seriously injured because of the fire he said. The paddock when the storm hit cancelled the balance of the nine race card when he Learned that some fans had been injured. I just Hope no one is seriously said the Visi Bly shaken track owner As a fan was being taken to Hospi Tal. Track announcer Jim far Rell said a Bolt of lightning flashed under his Chin during the height of the storm. In the Backstretch the of fice of racing Secretary Craig Macdonald was soaked with water after the wind damaged the roof of the administration building. Very Little damage was caused to the barn area. When an official at the weather office was asked if the race track had been hit by a Tornado he replied it s possible but not he said the wind velocity at the Airport during the storm was 100 Kilometres 60 before the storm hit the weather office predicted that winds could reach 140 Kilometres 84 . A horseman from the United states said following the storm if you never saw a Tornado before you saw one were once camper trailers. We be got insurance but i Don t know if it will cover All of our there in t anything that has t happened. One of our campers was blown across St. Charles Street onto an other lot f r o m our a said. Well definitely be having an auction to get Back some of our he said. Across Portage Avenue at the Vanguard lot manager Ron Rowe estimated his losses at Eraser Stewart of 105 fair Lane Avenue said it was criminal the Way houses in the area took a beating. In another storm related incident and a car passenger were treated in Hospital after a . Accident at tache Avenue and Marion Street St. Boni face in which two cars collided then one of the cars struck the pedestrian. Traffic lights weren t in operation at the time a Winnipeg police spokesman said. The car Drivers were David Isfeld 29, of 611 my Means Avenue Transcona and Reginald Giesbrecht 19, of 6 Montcalm Crescent West Kildonan. Or. Isfeld s car spun out of control and struck the pedestrian Doug Las Brian Clark 25, of 141 Berry Street St. James Assiniboia. Or. Clark was reported in fairly Good condition with a possible concussion in St. Boniface Hospital. Valeria Sarens 19, of lot 23, River Road St. Andrews a Passen Ger in the Giesbrecht Auto was treated for bruises and released. A track employee surveys windows broken in the Public grandstand caused by High winds sunday at Assiniboia Downs. Jagged pieces of Glass in the foreground splintered and Cut a number of patrons sitting at the third level. Class fronting the club House was t affected. Painters held for swastikas two youths were in police custody after swastikas were painted on several buildings Early sunday in West Kil Donan a Winnipeg police spokesman said sunday night the youths 18 and 19, whose names won t be re leased until they appear in court monday morning have been charged with mischief for painting a transit shelter and eight Homes with Black aerosol paint the detective said. Pickets to keep Ruttan shut until mine workers vote this camper trailer unit on a commercial sales lot in the Portage Avenue West area of the City during the storm. Leaf rapids Man. Staff picketing will continue at Sherritt Gordon mines limited s Ruttan mine 14 Miles Northeast of Here local 8144 of the United steelworkers of America decided sunday afternoon. Meeting in the Leaf rapids Community Centre the workers voted 170 to 116 to shut Down operations until at least next tuesday when they will vote on the com Pany s final offer to replace the contract which expired May 31. Pickets went up at the in trance to the 14-mile Road from Here to Ruttan at 2 . Friday halting All production. Meetings Here and at Lynn Lake for members of steel workers local 5757, representing Sherritt s employees at the Fox mine and Lynn Lake discussed the com Pany s offer. Steelworkers area representative Al Plaskett and the executive of the two locals had hoped the membership would agree to study the proposal and vote on it Friday giving them More time to find out the outcome of pre Mier de Schreyer s intervention with prime minister Trudeau on behalf of the Thompson steelworkers. Thompson miners Are ask ing that their wage agree ment which the Federal anti inflation Board rolled Back to 14.9 per cent be restored to its original 18.5 per cent. They have already voted to strike june 15 if the request in t met. Sherritt Gordon workers normally receive wages com parable to Thompson plus an additional two per cent. A company official said the offer to the 800 employees was final and would bring them up to the Thompson level assuming the 14.9 per cent increase held. The Sherritt official said the offer was All the com Pany could pay in Light of world Copper prices and the High Cost of production. Al Fleury president of local 8144, thought the membership would have accepted the proposal to return to work pending the outcome of the ratification vote Friday except for an incident Satur Day night on the picket line. A picket line Captain said that about ., a senior company official returning1 Home from the mine crashed through the barricade Block ing the Road. Although picketing has t been officially authorized by the Union it is considered Legal because the contract has expired. A company official thought it was t Legal because until sunday after noon no vote had been taken. Neepawa crash kills 2 two men aged 17 and 19 years were killed after their car went out of control struck an ramp car then hit a pole and a tree in Nee Pawa about . Satur Day. Dead Are Bruce Gladden 17, and Laurie a. Wic Zbin ski 19, both of Neepawa. The vehicle was t being pursued by police at the time of the collision although a similar Type of car had been sought earlier the spokes Man said. Friday evening two Brothers were seriously injured in a single vehicle Accident on Highway 50 about five Miles North of Langruth Man. Russell Houle 32, and Lionel Houle 27, both of ebb and flow Man., were reported in poor condition in win n i p e g s health sciences Centre after being transferred from Hospital in por Tage la Prairie. Ramp said their car went out of control and into a ditch about ;