2SS NOME NUGGET
OLDEST NEWSPAPER IN ALASKA—MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS
VOL. L. No. 31. NOME, ALASKA, FRIDAY, MARCH 12, 1948 PER COPY — ) ~^c
NEWS IN BRIEF
MINNEAPOLIS, (/P) — Yester
day was the coldest March day in
Minneapolis in the 57 years offi
cial weather records have been
kept. The mercury touched a low
of 26 degrees below zero. The day
was also the coldest of the winter.
The previous March low was
—17 on March 2, 1910. The previ
ous low for this winter was —21
on Jan. 23.
SAN DIEGO, Calif. </P) — The
11th naval district All-Stars <San
Diego) triumphed over the 17th
naval district entry from the
Alaska area 57 to 32 Wednesday
night in the West Coast navy bas
ketball tournament. The 13th
naval district quintet (Bremerton)
defeated the powerful West Coast
Marines 5 to 46 in overtime.
NEW YORK, (#*) — American
males are living longer than they
used to but they still aren’t doing
as well as the women, the Metro
politan Life Insurance Company
says.
In 1900, the average white male
infant had 40 chances in 100 of
reaching age 65. Now, the com
pany reports, his chances are 60
in 100.
In 1900, however, the average
white female infant had 45 chances
in 100 of reaching the same goal.
Now her chances are 75 in 100.
BLUEFIELD, W. Va„ (JP) — A
literal-minded reader of the Blue
field Daily Telegraph noted a
help-wanted ad which asked ap
plicants to “write stating experi
ence.”
Yesterday the mailman brought
an envelope bearing tins address:
Stating Experience,
Box 32, Daily Telegraph,
City.
JUNEAU, (j*P)—Governor Ernest
Gruening said yesterday he would
oppose transfer of the Alaska Na
tive Service headquarters from
Juneau to Anchorage.
The governor made the observa
tion at a chamber of commerce
meeting. He said Juneau was
more centrally located, in addi-,
tion, he said, all government agen
cies are headquartered in the cap
ital city.
JUNEAU (/P)—The body of Mrs.j
Esther Ellsworth, 80, who has
been receiving a $60 monthly pen-!
sion for the last eight years, was
found yesterday in her apartment. |
A search of the pla<^ disclosed
$3,500 in cash.
Authorities discovered $1,500
wrapped in newspapers and also
found $2,000 sewed in her corset, j
RICHLAND, (/P)—Residents of
this area have missed in recent i
days the spectacle of an Alaskan
dog team mushing over the back
country roads and prairies.
The dogs belong to John F. Duf
fy, Hanford construction project
electrician who brought them from
Anchorage by plane after he ac
cepted a job here.
The sled was wrecked recently
but Duffy expects to have it re
paired soon. He won’t be worried
about lack of snow because the
sled is on wheels.
Truman Shows
Mailed U. S. Fist
To Communism
WASHINGTON, UP)—President
Truman today pitted this coun-,
try’# full political power and pres
tige against the spread of com
munism anywhere — inclu ding
China.
At the same time a five-point
administration plan began to
emerge; a plan for coming to grips
with what secretary of state Mar
shall considers a “great crisis” in
the world.
Within a few hours of each
other, both the President and his
secretary of state spoke out with
extraordinary frankness on the
state of affairs resulting from the
bitter conflict between Russia and
the western powers.
For the first time publicly, the
chief executive admitted that his
faith in the attainment of a real
world peace has been somewhat
shaken. He said so at a White
House news conference late yes
terday.
Marshall, appearing last night
before a meeting of the federal
council of churches, declared flat
ly that “the world is in the midst
of a great crisis, inflamed by
p r opaganda, misunderstandings,
anger and fear.”
The President was in the audi
, (Continued on Page Four>
AMERICAN LEGION
SPONSORS HOSPITAL
BENEFIT DANCE
The American Legion announc
ed today that the St. Patrick’s Day
dance as planned will be held at
the High School Gvm on Wednes
day, March 17th, 1948.
The occasion is intended to raise
funds to buy at least emergency
equipment for such hospital facili
ties as will have to be set up in
this emergency. The entire pro
ceeds from the dance will be used
for this purpose, and the towns
people, fraternal and other organ
izations should lend their support
to the cause so as to make it pos
sible to realize a sizeable sum to
be presented to the new hospital
ization set-up already being or
ganized.
Further details will appear in
the Monday issue of the No~>p
Nugget. In the meantime, it will
be appreciated if local organiza
tions keep this date free so that
every civic minded person in
Nome can attend this worthy af
fair.
Communication
American Red Cross,
San Francisco, Calif.
I^pme Hospital only one in ra
dius of 200 miles completely de
stroyed stop no loss of life but
nothing else saved stop winter
supplies, drugs, equipment all de
stroyed stop complete drug and
equipment necessary for seven to;
ten patients on the average stop
committee functioning stop will
keep you advised.
• John McNees,
Disaster chm.
“Keep Cool; But
Prepare For
Aggressive War”
(By Elton C. Fay)
((/P) Military Affairs Reporter)
WASHINGTON, (/P) — Military
developments in the United States
reflect the “very, very serious”
world situation noted by secretary
of state Marshall.
High command conferences . . .
new weapons . . . Quests for mili
tary manpower . . . Congressional
warnings against cutting defense
funds.
All these coincided with Mar
shall’s grave summation of the
trend of global affairs.
But just as the secretary voiced
an implied plea to the American
people yesterday tp keep cool,
other top officials in both the
diplomatic and military branches
of the government to«k pains to
stress this:
All efforts to build up the
United States’ armed might are
aimed solely at guarding against
aggressive attack.
Secretary of defense Forrestal
told a news conference yesterday
that it is not the nature of democ
racies, “particularly this democ
racy,” to plan a war deliberately.
But the United States is deter
mined to put its military house in
order.
Here are some of the latest ef
forts:
High command: Forrestal has
ordered the joint chiefs of staff to
meet with him and tell him where
they disagree about what service
should do what in a war.
Weapons: While making ready
for further tests of atomic wea
pons in the Pacific, the military
has begun experiments in Califor
nia with the world’s biggest stand
ard explosive bomb—a 21-ton mis
sile.
The navy, stressing more and
more the role of carrier-borne avi
ation in its fleet, proposes to build
a giant 80.000-ton flattop. Such a
carrier could make possible new
and even harder-striking task
forces.
Manpower: A new effort to push
universal military training
through Congress is underway.
Infant Dies in Fire
Which Destroys Cabin
•
Thursday morning about nine
o’clock the fire department was
called out in answer to an alarm
from Box 32 on 3rd and D street,
from a small cabin, partly logs, a
relic of the early days, where Ed
die Ahkolik and family were liv-1
ing.
Mrs. Ahkolik had left the house
for a few minutes, leaving thej
baby asleep and three pre-school
children, two of her own and one
of the John Norbert family, play-1
ing quietly on the floor.
In their play fhey apparently!
tried to light the gas lamp which
blew up and started the fire. The
children ran from the house, leav- '
ing the baby asleep. The fire
spread so rapidly that by the time
aid came it was beyond control.
Floyd Wheeler rescued the infant
through a window, after donning
a gas mask, but it^ras too late to
save its life.
Veterans, Students
Form “Against
MacArthur” Clubs
CHICAGO, (JP)—Former serv
icemen and students in five cities
have announced formation of or
ganizations “Against MacArthur"
—opposing the possible Presiden
tial candidacy of Gen. Douglas
MacArthur.
In Chicago, Paul Berger, 24,
spokesman for the “Veterans
Against MacArthur” club, said if
the move gains enough impetus “a
national non-political club will be
founded." The five-star general
announced in Tokyo Monday that
he is available for nomination for
the Presidency.
Cities included St. Louis, Den
ver, Boston, Pittsburgh and Dal
las, Tex., Berger said.
The Chicago club, Berger said,
opposes MacArthur’s candidacy
(Continued on Page Seven)
Arabs Decree
Martial Law In
Northern Palestine
(By Carter L. Davids)
Northern Palestine, (TP) — Mar
tial law has been decreed in all
northern Palestine, effective at
dawn yesterday, by Fawzi Bey A1
Kaukji, Arab commander.
“Every order from this head
quarters will now become the law
of the land (Northern Palestine*
for civil and military alike.” Faw
zi Bey declared in his order Wed
nesday night.
His headquarters said prisons
now are being established in the
mountain top village where Fawz.i
Bey has set up his command. Sev
eral persons already have been ar
rested and are awaiting trial be
fore military courts, which offi
cers said will begin sitting soon in
all major towns and cities of the
northern Holy Land.
_ I
Senate Would Cut j
Income Taxes
__ -
WASHINGTON. — Senate
Republican leaders lined up today
behind a $4,700,000,000 income tax
cut bill—and hoped for strong
Democratic support.
The Senate finance committee
voted 10 to 1 last night for a tax
slash of that size.
In doing so, it whittled $1,800,
000.000 from the $6,500,000,000 tax
bill passed overwhelmingly by the
House February 2,
The purpose of the Senate strat
egy is to try to win enough Demo
cratic votes to pass a bill over the
Presidential veto the Republicans
expect. That would take a two
thirds majority in both the Senate
and House.
Except for one major change
which trimmed the amount of the
cut, the Senate measure is practic
ally the same as the House bill.
The Senate bill provides for j
percentage tax cuts ranging from,
12.6 per cent for those with net
incomes of up to $2,000; 7.4 per
cent on incomes of from $2,000 to,
$136,719: and 5 per cent on in- >
comes over $136,719.
Maynard Columbus
Hospital Burns; All
Patients Saved
A fire destroyed the Maynard
Columbus Hospital last evening,
burned through the night and was
still smoldering today. It is re
ported that it started from a waste
receiver on the second floor and
spread so rapidly that it was out
of control in a matter of minutes.
Mrs. Don Bishop, who was the
nurse on duty, and Dr. J. B.
Tucker quickly removed the pa
tients to the Federated Church,
and the hospital was then already
full of smoke. Sam Komakhuk,
Irene Gray and Marchel Okpealuk
were evacuated to the Army hos
pital as soon as possible and the
other patients were well enough
to be taken to private homes, in
cluding Sam Tucker who was to
have been discharged today and
Axel Warner, who was at the Pi
oneer Card Party.
Earlier in the evening Mrs. T.
McAllister and infant and Mrs.
Tom Beltz and infant had left for
their homes.
Realizing the seriousness of the
situation the U. S. Army Fire De
partment, directed by Chief Sam.
Huxley, came to the assistance of
the City Fire Department, bring
ing hose and other equipment, in
cluding booster pumps which
were attached to the town mains,
keeping a good supply of water
well directed at all important
places. The fire was kept in check
for several hours; smoke blanket
ing the west end of town, and
flames did not break out until
about two o’clock this morning.
Sgt. L. Stermer and a member
of the Army Fire department, Guy
Freeland were asphixiated at
tempting to get into the building
where the smoke was thick. They
were taken to the Post for treat
ment. Many others were overcome
with smoke and were taken to the
Federated Church where first aid
was given.
It is reported that very little
equipment was saved, although
the records for the office were
pulled out by Pearse Walsh, Billy
Best, and Dr. M. Kennedy, aided
by a crew of volunteers.
A constant play of water was
kept on the well filled oil stoorage
tanks at the rear of the hospital by
an army crew who states that
there were about 1800 gallons of
oil, which if it had become hot
would have exploded, spraying
flames in all directions.
All soldiers in town as well as
civilian volunteers worked tire
lessly throughout the night with a
fresh crew from the army taking
over the hoses about three o’clock
to relieve the exhausted fire-fight
ers.
After the hospital burst into
flames another army crew pa
trolled the west end of town
watching the thousands of sparks
which covered the area.
Fire-fighters claim that the good
supply of water and plenty of hose
as well as good judgment of the
part of those directing the fire
saved the Methodist Lavinia Wal
lace Young Mission and other sur
rounding buildings, and holding
(Continued on Page Four)