World IN BRIEF : CANADA : Trestle Charred in Indian Protest

A railroad trestle near Seton Portage, British Columbia, was severely damaged by fire after the Royal Canadian Mounted Police clashed with Indian demonstrators and dismantled their rail blockade. Almost half the 165-foot trestle across the Portage River on BC Rail’s main line about 115 miles northeast of Vancouver was charred. Earlier, officers with clubs stormed about 150 Indians blocking the main road through Seton Portage. The roadway and rail blockades are to show area native support for Mohawks clashing with authorities in Oka, Quebec, and to call attention to Indian land claims. The three-foot-high pile of timber and rocks was the second rail obstacle to be dismantled in a week. Sixteen people were arrested. Fifteen were charged with violating a court injunction against such blockades and one with obstruction.