There were approximately 125 toats in the small boat-harbor at the 

 time the earthquake started. Most of the boats were lost; some were 

 tumbled by the first wave that hit the waterfront before the harbor 

 disappeared; others were washed over the breakwater. The death toll 

 in Seward was mainly from among people on board their boats in the 

 small-boat harbor. Some of the boats were carried inland and beached 

 far above normal high water (Figure lU5);some beached among debris at 

 the northwest head of the bay (Figure 155). 



As already noted, the Alaska Standard, of 1,9^7 gross tons, survived 

 the tsunami, with little damage other than a battered foredeck (Solibakke, 

 196^). 



At the airport, all small planes and the Civil Air Patrol house were 

 damaged by the wave that came in approximately 8 to 10 minutes after the 

 earthquake started (Chance, I968). 



At Lowell Point, a newly built marina was completely demolished by 

 the waves. The workshop, a wooden building, stood only 1 foot above the 

 highest high water level. Different types of machinery for contracting 

 work were parked at the marina. They were all tumbled and damaged be- 

 yond repair. The damage was massive. A 25-ton caterpillar tractor had 

 its manganese steel frame broken by a rock; a 26-ton crane was carried 

 500 feet from the beach line; a l6-ton earth grader, parked in the area 

 back of the shop, was moved about 100 feet and smashed; a 2-ton air 

 compressor was displaced about 500 feet. The marine-way cradle was 

 whipped along its tracks, smashing a winding drum and leveling everything 

 in its path. The cradle tore loose from its cables, and landed in the 

 rear parking area. The waves dislodged the winch which was not only 

 bolted down but welded to railroad irons set in 6 feet of concrete. Wave 

 forces sheared four pieces of railroad steel and moved the winch 6 feet 

 inside what had been the shop. The shed completely disappeared and was 

 never found. 



Figure I56 shows the remains of the 6-ton panel truck in which 

 Robert Eads and Christiansen survived the first wave. It was wrapped 

 around a tree some 32 feet above water level, presumably by the second 

 wave at 6:00 p.m. 



The total damage at Seward in respect of the port and harbor facil- 

 ities has been estimated at $15,375,000 (Hansen, et al, I966). It is 

 difficult to say how much of this is directly due to the tsunami, but 

 an amount of $lU ,6li+,000 was assessed by the Anchorage Daily News of 

 April 16, 196^+ (Spaeth and Berkman, I967). Twelve persons lost their 

 lives to the sea waves at Seward. 



244 



