. 46 - North Shore News — Sunday, December 5, 1999

Tae Century

il Spill St

<. "September, 1973.— A
-, major —oil spill occurred
Tuesday on. the North Shore,
after’ nwo freighters, the Sua
Digmond and the Erawan, col-
‘fided- in’ Point | Atkinson,
approximately 3 a.m. Tuesds
At
‘Ambleside, NSS staffer“ Deby
Miller described .the spill as

’ bad,” and said that the.

vil’ had. ‘already reached ‘the
sagpeach, “rear biack strings of.

oie

Ee

oe

“noon : Tuesday in|

By high tide, at dark, the
spili is expected to reach the
logs along the beach. At press
time oii had been sighted in
Eagle Harbour, and at
Lighthouse Park and Caulfeild.
Atl p.m. the oil had split into
twelve separate sniali slicks, and
the prospect of westerly winds
proniised to spread it still fur-
ther along the coast.

Clean-up operations were

‘due to begin at 2 p.m. ‘Tuesday.

Because of the lack of emer-

geney reserves of straw and
peat moss in the Vancouver
area, the arrival of these sup-
plies was delayed. .
Mayor Art Langley of West
Vancouver expressed concern
that children in the vicinity
might track oif onto the beach.
An observer with binoculars

- reported seeing a duck and a

goose swimming just ahead of
the: slick at 10:30 a.m.; by
12:30 p.m. he was certain the
birds had drowned:

MLA Allan Williams said,
“Tf this van happen to us now,
what will happen when the
United Srares sends super-
tankers through the Straits of
Juan de Fuca?* .

A oraass demonstration is
scheduled for Sunday,
September 30, at the U.S.-
Canadian border at Bhinc, to
protest the plan to route super-
tankers from Alaska through
the Straits. Gary Gallon, co-
ordinator of the demonstra-

“i thiuh its a nice place just ~
and it: zhouldn't be

ype they

uon, said in a press cclease, “It
the United States sends the
supertankers through — the
Straits, we will consider it an
act of environmental aggres-
sion.”

Now char disaster has
occurred > en closer to home,
at the frou: door of our com-
inunity, surely North Shore cit-
izens have a duty to act strong-
ty, and quickly, against the wan-
ton destruction of our coast-
line.

(2a minichiella orginal
* Paul Riiesehisetior tes | *
‘crated this unique’

*. satit fae “nurmeous
Gale staes aerate
_tortn Amovica

DEBY Miller at Ambleside, .
her hands covered in oil.