The tug Papco II was gutted Wednesday night by an engine room fire of unknown origin.
She was 25 miles up Harrison Lake when the fire broke out about 9:30 p.m. and the crew had to get off on a log boom.
Skipper Vic Kelley was sleeping in the after cabin when the fire was discovered by Mate L. Lees and Deckhand Ernie Link and had to await rescue in his night clothes.
Lees and Link were in the deckhouse when they smelled smoke. They lifted the engine room cover and found the space below filled with flames. Efforts to control the fire with the tugs extinguisher were unsuccessful.
The men shut off the diesel engine while they fought the blaze but when they saw their efforts were useless they were fortunate enough to be able to start it up again and back up the 400 feet to the front of their 60 section tow. Before abandoning the ship they radioed for help.
Ed Reid, with the Redonda was at Eagle Creek, about a dozen mile farther south. He headed back and reached the Papco about an hour after she was abandoned. He could see the flames out in the Lake as soon as he reached the Long Island gap at 20 mile.
Colin McDiarmid also headed up the lake, in the Red Fir VII from Harrison Hot Springs, arriving about 20 minutes after the Redonda. He towed the hulk ashore and the Redonda extinguished the fire with water.
Next day the hull was pumped out and towed to Harrison, but was found to be beyond salvaging. The upper structure and most of the deck were burned right off and the wooden hull badly damaged.
New Spa Motel Nearly Ready
Work on the new building at the Spa Motel has been progressing ahead of schedule and while the official opening is still planned for May 1, it appears that there will be an unofficial opening about April 15.
Carpentry, plumbing, painting and wiring are now going ahead simultaneously with some units virtually complete.
Owner Mike Allen has not completed plans for the opening but says there will be refreshments for all local visitors. The work started in early February.
Mr. Allen is also planning to build an ice cream bar in the northwest corner of his property at the sidewalk on the Esplanade and adjacent to the Springs Café. Council refused him a permit to do this last year. This year he says he will go ahead regardless.
He states that he was prevented by the council from selling cabins he was removing from his property for re-erection else where in the village but when council raised objections to the moving and renovation of an old building belonging to the Harrison Hotel, the work went ahead regardless.