THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 21. 1952
CENTRAL POfNT AMERICAN. CENTRAL POINT OREGON
rr-Ä
Details Given on
Death of Former
Local Teacher
breakfast when he heard something
’’boom,” and then saw two little
waitresses who lived in the back of
the roadhouse with their faces in the
window. They broke the glass, one
jumped out and he helped the other
(Editor’s Note: Sometime late in to the ground.
Keith Swanson, NCA station man
November we published a short
article on the fatal death of Bessie ager who had an apartment in t ie
Lamkin Smith at Bethel, Alaska. roadhouse and his wife lost every
And there has been several inquiries thing they had. Swanson grabbed
as to how it really happens. We re all the company papers he could
ceived a clipp.ng t. e other day s. I before the fire got too bad. He
we are printing this as Bessie Smith then heard a howl from the side of
is very well known in the valley and the building on the second floor
formerly was a teacher at Central where the NCA mechanic, Gene
. Chavis, was sleeping.
Point Schools.)
Ann Joyce, manager of the Bethel
Chavis had been awakened by
Roadhouse, and Bessie Lamkin screams from Mrs. Smith’s room.
Smith, teacher, both well known in He jumped out of bed and opened
Fairbanks, were burned to death the door but smoke and flames
Wednesday morning, Nov. 7, in the ! drove him back. He quickly got into
most tragic fire that ever struck some clothes, broke the window
glass with his shoes, saw the ground
Bethel.
A third life was also lost, that of a ; was too far for him to jump and tied
native boy from Kwethluk, whose sheets together for a rope. Swanson
name could not be learned. T.ie j brought a ladder, assisted by Father
fire laid to the ground the famous | : Donahue, two rungs were gone but
roadhouse owned and operated by I , Chavis made it down.
They then moved the ladder
Northern Consolidated Airlines and
around to Mrs. Smith’s window.
the N. C. Company theater.
The fire started about 5:45 a.m., They saw her trying to break the
apparently from an oil stove explo glass Keith got another ladder and
sion in the kitchen. Mrs. Joyce was had just got to the window with it
accustomed to lighting the kitchen when the ladder collapsed and his
stove about that time of the morn hip was broken in the fall. So
ing. She was never seen during the Bessie Smith perished and Keith
fire nor had her body been recov was removed to the hospital.
The native boy was trapped o.i
ered at the time the NCA plane left
for Anchorage and Fairbanks late the third floor no possible way of j
I escape. None of the bodies had [
in the day.
Mrs. Smith died in the window of been recovered at the time the plane
her second floor room at the road- ! ■ departed. It delayed its return
house, too weak to break the win- } ! flight for three hours so as to re-
dow, but screaming for help. A lad
der was raised to her window, but
the rotten rungs in it broke under
Central Point
Swanson, plunging him to the
SAW
SHOP
ground and breaking his hip. Before
another ladder or rescurer could
Custom SAW FILING
reach the window it was too late.
AN» REPAIR
Charles Wilcombe, steward on the;
NCA plane that reached Bethel two
Mill Saws—Hand Saw*. Etc.
or three hours after the fire had
Tool Grinding
started gave a graphic description
of the holocaust. By stroke of fate,
CI-OSED SAT. AFTERNOON
crew members and passengers on
this plane, counted their own lives P.O. Box 219
Phone SSI
Central Point. Oregon
saved by the fact that weather con
ditions held them overnight at Mc
Grath. Normally they would have!
arrived at Bethel on Tuesday night
and have spent the night at the
roadhouse.
The fire was discovered by j
"Pinky,” an old-timer living in a
cabin nearby. He was just starting
Tasty Hamburgers
move all the injured and homeless
who wished.
Swanson was left at the Bethel
hospital. Gene C avis was flown to
Anchorage. He had a lung full of
smoke and an injured leg. Stan
Zaputil, accuunt.nt fur N. C. com
pany ad a ro; m across the hall
from Chavis and he. too heard Mrs.
Smith screaming. He started to go
into the hall but was forced back
by smoke and flames and had to go
out the window. He came bac.c on
the plane. He loot all his posses
sions as did Chavis.
Ann Joyce, former Ladd AFB
.hostess, went to Bethel over a year
ago to take over the management
of the hotel. Born in Australia, she
lived many years in Hawaii. She
first came to Alaska several year
ago and returned to make it her
permanent home after subsequent
trips to Australia and Hawaii. Sne
leaves a son, Horace, a U S quaran
tine inspection officer in Hilo, Ha
waii; a daughter, Mrs. Paul Chris
tensen in Kukukihaole. Hawaii, and
another daughter living in the
States. Mrs. Smith was former
U.S. Commissioner at Flat. She re
signed her position there, took a
PAGE THREE
brush up course at the University there was plenty of water but the
of Alaska and then accepted a posi- fire hose, was rotten I never saw
tion in the Bethel school. She leaves ^ing.like it. The Bethel people
act as if they were all related to
a son. Charles, whose whereabouts Mrs Joyce and
AU th#
aut oritiee were endeavoring today flight ci.
fond of them, and
to lofate.
they spoiled the boys.”
Both women had scores of friend s
First reports of the fire reaching
In the Fairbanks area and both were Fairbanks Wednesday came to Leon
extremely popular in Bethel. Said Vincent over KZAW.
Wilcombe this morning, "There isn’t
a smile in Bethel. The roadhouse1
was the center of social life. Then1 j
were lots of people coming and go-I Feeding the nation and a part of
ing. It was the place to eat. The the world may be a glorious calling
Everyone for our farmers, but they are also
ticket office was there. L
fought valiently to check the flames. interested in a fair cash return.
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