European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - August 28, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 4 the stars and stripes wednesday August 28, 1991 Only Hugo ranks As costlier than Bob insurance study say fish for soviets these cases of canned Alaska Pink Salmon Are among 10,000 pounds waiting to be loaded onto a soviet Jet at the Anchorage International Airport sundays fish lift was practical As Well Friendly millions of excess Pink Salmon Are being destroyed in Prince William sound because of huge fish runs and weak markets. The boxes were stamped in English and russian a gift to the people of the . From the people of  from wire reports Boston a Hurricane Bob caused $780 million in damage to insured property along the East coast making it the second most expensive Hurricane in . History according to insurance Industry figures released monday. The estimate came a week after the Hurricane hit new England damaging buildings boats and Farmland and knocking out Power to More than 2 million customers. Crews worked monday to restore Power to the last several thousand people without electricity. The damage total ranks Bob second behind Hurricane Hugo but its a Distant second. Hugo caused $4.2 billion Worth of insured losses in the Caribbean and Southeastern United states in september 1989. Meanwhile on monday the Bush administration declared Rhode Island a disaster area eligible for Federal Aid in the Wake of Bob. Barbara Cottam a spokeswoman for Rhode Island gov. Bruce Sundlun said the governor received a Call from the White House on monday night informing him that the state could apply for Federal help in cleaning up after last weeks storm. There was no immediate word on whether Massachusetts or Connecticut would receive Federal Aid. Gary Kemey claims consultant with american insurance services group inc., a Trade group that prepared the estimates said inflation helped Bob achieve a lofty ranking compared with other storms. For instance Kemey said Hurricane Frederic which caused $752.5 million Worth of insured damage in the Southern and North Central United states in 1979, undoubtedly would have Cost More than Bob had it hit in 1991. But the fact that Bob struck a densely populated area was probably the biggest reason for its High Cost despite the fact that insurance experts did not see any sign of widespread destruction of buildings Kemey said. Damaged yachts and other boats also accounted for significant losses although precise numbers were unavailable. The largest loss occurred in Massachusetts with $525 million in insured damage. Estimates for other states a Rhode Island $115 million. A new York $75 million. A Connecticut $40 million. A Maine $21 million. A North Carolina $4 million. While the Hurricane also affected parts of new Hampshire that state was not included in the total because the damage was not considered catastrophic Kerney said. The estimate covers losses Only for insured property which excludes flood damage unless the property owner had a specific policy to cover flooding. The Federal government however provides insurance for flood damage. Hurricane Gloria which hit new England in 1985, caused $418.7 million in insured damage. Jeff Palca spokesman for the insurance information Institute in new York said the Industry As a whole has plenty of capital to absorb the damage  reportedly profited from property deals Washington a sen. Mark Hatfield r-ore., declined comment monday on reports he made As much As $300,000 on generous real estate deals with friends in 1981. The new disclosures by the oregonian newspaper come at a time when Hatfield a finances Are being reviewed by the Senate ethics committee and a Federal grand jury in Columbia . The four separate deals provided Hatfield and his wife with Money that appeared in some instances to be in excess of the property a Market value the newspaper said. The largest deals were with two wealthy friends a an Oregon electronics tycoon and a Maryland Oil millionaire the report said. In one Case Paul n. Temple of Maryland paid the hat Fields $250,000 Cash in february 1981 for an acco Keek md., House that Antoinette Hatfield bought 16 months earlier for $160,000, the newspaper said. Almost four years later Temple resold the property for a $90,000 loss the newspaper said. The oregonian reported that at about the same time As the House Sale Temple sold the hat Fields his Coop apartment in the Shore Nam West Complex in Washington. The hat Fields resold the apartment later that year for a profit of As much As $100,000. Hatfield a financial forms filed with the Senate in 1981 showed Temple sold him the apartment on credit loaning Hatfield As much As $300,000 that year at below Market interest rates. Hatfield later told the Senate that he repaid the loan. Temple has worked for More than 20 Oil and Gas exploration companies currently affiliated with Houston based ene Cap corp. In the other major Deal the hat Fields sold a Beach House on the Oregon coast to c. Norman Winningstad of Beaverton ore., at a Price that was $113,000 higher than its assessed value the newspaper said. Winningstad told the oregonian he wanted the property because he found he could land his helicopter on it and avoid heavy traffic to the Beach. He said he paid the asking Price of $300,000 in october 1981 because he wanted to be sure his offer was accepted. He dismissed any suggestion he paid an inflated Price As a favor to Hatfield. The newspaper quoted Lincoln county assessor de Todd As saying the property a Market value was probably no More than 10 percent higher than the $186,200 listed on tax Rolls at the time. Thomas rated qualified for court Washington a the american bar association on tuesday gave Clarence Thomas its mid level rating of a a qualified to be a member of the supreme court. Two of the 15 members of the Aba panel that evaluates judicial nominees voted Thomas Quot not qualified to sit on the High court. An Aba source who requested anonymity said one panel member did not take part in the vote. The names of the two dissenters were not made Public. The Aba the nations largest lawyers organization has three rankings for High court nominees a Well qualified qualified and not qualified. The mid level rating for Thomas is the same Aba evaluation he received when he was appointed a Federal appeals court judge in 1989. Ron Olson of los Angeles the head of the Aba evaluation committee was not immediately available for comment. White House spokesman Marlin Fitzwa Ter said in a statement from Kennebunk port Maine that president Bush welcomed the finding. Thomas 43, a conservative Black judge and former chairman of the equal employment Opportunity commission has been attacked by civil rights groups including the a act and women a rights groups. The civil rights groups oppose him for his criticism of affirmative action and have said he was too lax in enforcing anti discrimination Laws As head of the Leoc. Women a rights groups said they expect him to vote to overturn the courts 1973 ruling that legalized abortion nationwide. Senate judiciary committee hearings on the Thomas nomination Are scheduled to begin sept. 10 and Are expected to be highly contentious. Last year the Aba rated David h. Souter Well qualified when Bush picked the then Little known judge from new Hampshire to become a supreme court Justice. Souter was confirmed by the Senate As Bush a first High court appointee. The Abas role has been highly controversial in the past particularly when former president Ronald Reagan named Robert h. Bork in 1987 to become a member of the High court. Four members of the Aba evaluation committee found Bork unqualified to be a High court member. That triggered angry attacks by Republican senators who said the committee members were politically motivated. Bork a nomination was Defeated by the Senate As a Liberal led attack accused him of being a rigid ideologue and Radical  with ill son receives Light term san Francisco apr the last of four Oakland housing authority police officers convicted of beating residents and faking evidence Drew a Light sentence of three years in Anson because his year old son has sickle cell anaemia. . District judge Fern Smith said she would have followed Federal guidelines establishing a minimum term of just under five years for Larry Houston had his son not been ill. She had earlier sentenced the other officers to eight years in prison the four members of an Oakland housing authority drug task Force were convicted in april