One of the asphalt storage tanks at the Standard Oil Company of 

 California tank farm was punctured during the earthquake, probably by 

 floating debris. The escaping asphalt contaminated a large area of Port 

 Valdez as shown in Figure I85 (MacNamara, I96U). 



Gasoline also leaked from the tanks, and about 10:15 p.m. on the 

 day of the earthquake, the Standard Oil tanks caught fire, probably by 

 wire short-circuiting caused by water. Shortly afterwards, the Union 

 Oil tank farm also caught fire (Bracken, 196^). 



The high waves that came in about 11:^+5 and 1:35 during the night 

 had apparently no smashing effects. However, they refloated boats and 

 debris; and also some of the wooden structures were floated free, but 

 were apparently not moved very much. These two waves were responsible 

 for most of the wetting damage to buildings, homes, merchandise and 

 supplies in the commercial establishments along McKinley Street and west 

 of it. The water was heavily laden with silt and large volumes of silt 

 were deposited in and around buildings. The backwash of the last wave 

 had a strong current, and debris and beached boats were washed out into 

 the bay. Some of the general melee on the waterfront is illustrated in 

 Figures I86 and I87. 



At Jackson Point, a cannery was swept off its foundation by a wave 

 that rushed up 32 feet. Later, parts of the cannery were found floating 

 about 2 miles west of Jackson Point (see Figure I85 ) . 



An inhabited cabin in Anderson Bay was completely swept away by the 

 waves generated in the Cliff Mine area. 



According to Spaeth and Berkman (1967), 31 persons died at Valdez 

 as a result of the earthquake and tsunami, the highest number of deaths 

 of any community in Alaska. It has been stated that if the earthquake 

 had occurred just one-half hour earlier, while the dock was still crowded 

 with townspeople, the death toll would have been many times greater. 



The estimate of property damage caused by the waves is $12,568,000 

 of which $8,^53,000 was privately owned and $U, 115, 000 publicly owned. 

 Relative to its population size, Valdez suffered more acutely than Seward, 

 although total damage losses at Seward were higher. 



k. Tsunami Waves at Whittier, Prince William Sound 



Whittier was built in 19^2-^3 to provide a second all-weather 

 terminal (besides Seward) for the Alaska Railroad. Figure I88 shows its 

 location near the head of Passage Canal in Prince William Sound, one of 

 a series of fingerlike fjords that connect with Port Wells and Wells 

 Passage. The town is owned and operated by the Alaska Railroad of the 

 U. S. Department of the Interior. However, some of the land has been 

 leased to private enterprises. As a result of the earthquake, 13 of the 

 70 people living in Whittier died. 



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