OLDEST NEWSPAPER IN ALASKA—MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS
VOL. LII. No. 102 ' NOME, ALASKA, MONDAY, AUGUST 28, 1950 ' Per Copy—15c
NEWS IN BRIEF I
I _
CLEVELAND, (/P) — A major
earthquake occurred at 12:48 a.m.
<EDT> Saturday (6:48 p.m. Friday,
Nome time' at the eastern adge of
the Aleutians. It was recorded
Saturday on the John Carroll Uni
versity seismograph.
* Father Henry F. Birkenhauer,
observatory director, said the
quake registered about 3,400 miles
northwest of Cleveland.
The Aleutians are characterized
by quakes close to the surface of
the earth. The quakes usually are
strong enough to cause tidal
waves if they occur off the coast,
he said.
DETROIT 1^)—Three stories, up
Eugene Casey, 23, was at work on
his painter’s chair.
Beneath him on the ground was
A1 Bodnar, 40, fellow worker.
The chair collapsed and Casey
fell. Bodnar, with arms out
stretched, broke the fall.
.Casey, weight 140, suffered re
ported minor injuries. Bodnar,
about 200, wasn’t hurt at all.
WASHINGTON, (JP) — Sports
men may have to wait until to
morrow to find out when they can
go duck-hunting and how many
birds they may kill.
The fish and wildlife service in
dicated a month ago, in announc
ing that the waterfowl hunting
regulations would be out about a
month later than usual this year,
that the seasons* bag limits and
other rules would be announced
later.
But an interior department
spokesman said there was no like
lihood they would be signed by
President Truman before tomor
row.
CHICAGO, (jP)—A man fell in
the doorway of a North Side cur
rency exchange Friday and cried,
“I think I broke my leg, help me.”
Miss Hazel Guthrie, 49, hurried
from behind her bullet-proof
cashier cage in the exchange to
help the man. He jumped to his
feet, menaced her with a gun and
forced her back into the cage.
Then the gunman took $4,000
from a safe and fled. I
NEW DELHI, India, (£>)—The
face of northeast India still was
changing today in the wake of the
devastating earthquake 13 days
ago, which scientists state was the
world’s fifth most severe earth
quake.
Spreading flood waters pushed
further over tea gardens in Assam
Province, where the quake hit
hardest. The death tell was in the:
neighborhood of 5,000.
Minor shocks continued in the i
province. Millions prayed in the
streets and fields.
An estimated 5,000,000 persons,
were reported homeless. Property j
damage was placed at $20,000,000.1
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WASHINGTON, (/P)—CAA air:
traffic controllers will use knots!
and nautical miles in all commu
nications with aircraft after July
1, 1952.
A similar change was made
standard for U. S. military avia
tion in 1946, CAA said in announc-;
(Continued oh Page Three)
ALASKAN VOLCANO GETS READY TO BLOW ITS TOP,
. I
1 CHALLENGING A-BOMB, Mt. Pavlof, left, is getting ready for the "greatest explosion in mod
ern history." The perfect cone at the right is Pavlof's Sister, an extinct volcano.
/2s_1!_
U/P) Newsfealures)
ANCHORAGE, Alaska—The greatest explosion in modern history is
shaping up in the rugged mountains of the Alaskan Peninsula. Scien
tists who make the prediction feel that 1950 will be the year of the big
blast—a tremendous eruption that will make the A-Bomb seem like
popcorn.
Increased activity has been observed during the past month through
out the length of the 600-mile long peninsula. Beneath the smoking
peaks and steaming fumaroles experts say gases are building up tre
mendous pressures, swirling in pools of molten lava and seeking a
vent. Gauged by past performances that vent is in the Alaskan Penin
sula. The men who study nature’s giant fireworks displays—volcanol
ogists—don’t agree on the exact time and place of the big blow, but
they agree that the volcanoes haxe been quiet for too long.
Field crews recently had living examples to prove their contention.
On the tip of the peninsula 8,900
foot Mount Pavlof was belching
smoke 20,000 feet into the air.
miles and visibility was impaired.
i
Volcanic Cycles Cited
Several months ago Father Ber
nard Hubbard, geology head of
the University of Santa Clara,
predicted a big eruption. Hub
bard, famed for his exploration of
Alaska’s active volcanoes, said he
believes volcanoes operate in cy
cles.
“Mount Katmai erupted in
• Continued on Page Four) .
Harry Bridges
At It Again
SAN FRANCISCO. (JP)—Harry
Bridges freed on bail Friday# im
mediately took another slam at U.
S. policy in the Far East.
"If we follow through complete
ly on the President's decisions
with respect to Korea# Formosa#
the Philippines and Indochina# it
inevitably means a third world
war#" he told a new conference.
The president of the CIO long
shore union was freed by order
of the Ninth Circuit Court of Ap
peals. In a 2-1 decision# the judg
es ruled his $25#000 bail should
not have been cancelled Aug. 5#
at the request of the government.
Nome Feels First
Earthquake Shock
Nome experienced her first real
earthquake tremor last Friday at
five-forty p.m. This was followed
by two more lighter tremors be
fore sjx o’clock, and another at
nine o’clock. Sunday evening an
other light tremor was felt at
about nine o’clock, as well as Sat
urday afternoon at one o’clock.
Reports from Kotzebue tell of
a similar tremor Friday about the
time Nome was feeling it.
According to the U. S. Weather
Bureau, no reports Were received
from any of their stations.
»
Truman Cracks
Down Hard On
Gen. MacArthur
WASHINGTON, President
Truman has cracked down on
Gen. Douglas MacArthur for pro
posing to make a statement on
Formosa which the White House
regarded as an improper venture
into the field of foreign policy
making.
Presidential Secretary Charles
G. Ross disclosed today that Mr.
Truman personally directed that
MacArthur withdraw the state
men he had sent to the Chicago
encampment of Veterans of For
eign Wars. In that statement, Mac
Arthur had declared the safety of
the United States demands that
Formosa remain in friendly
hands.
This was, at the least, off'tan
gent from the administration’s de
clared policy that Formosa’s fu
ture must be settled at the inter
national level.
So Mr. Truman, in addition to
the crackdown on MacArthur,
made public a letter to Warren
Austin, the American ambassador
to the United Nations, repeating
his Formosan policy “to the end
that there be no misunderstand
ing concerning the position of the
government of the United States.”
The whole incident seemed cer
tain to leave lasting scars in a sit
uation already marked by sharp
differences between some high
military and diplomatic officials
over foreig npolicy.
There were indications that it
would lead, too, to further deter
iorations of the Republican-Demo
cratic cooperation on foreign pol
icy matters.
Senator Knuowland (R.-Calif.),'
who has been critical of Far East
ern policy, got out a statement ac
cusing the administration of “gag
ging” MacArthur. He called this
(Continued on Page Two)
Eighteen Die As
Freighter Rams
Hospital Ship
SAN FRANCISCO, (A3) — Eight
een persons died as the hospital
ship Benevolence, with about 515
aboard, was rammed by a freight
* er and overturned Friday night.
The navy said it believed all
others were accounted for.
The survivors were scattered
through various hospitals in the
San Francisco Bay area, or had
gone to their homes in nearby
cities.
The crash occurred south of the
main ship channel entering San
Francisco Bay, about four miles
from the Golden Gate bridge.
Visibility was zero as a blind
ing white fog drifted in from the
sea.
The outbound freighter, Mary
Luckenbach, ripped into the white
flank of the hospital ship which
was entering the harbor after a
trial run. The freighter appeared
little damaged. It crept into port
(Continued on Page Five)
■
Korean Situation
At A Glance —
Saturday, August 26, 1950
(By The Associated Press)
United Nation s troops today
forced invading North Korean
forces to withdraw from the Kum
hwa corridor north of Taegu, key
Allied base, and repelled a Red
assault on the south coast aimed
toward Pusan, vital supply port.
Field officers said three North
Korean divisions were so badly
mauled in the Kumhwa “death
trap” that they could not mount
another offensive in this sector
for at least 10 days.
But the Reds pushed more
ominously 23 miles northeast in
the seventh consecutive day. of
bitter fighting around Taegu. A
major Red push by probably 20,
000 men forced the defending
South Koreans back a mile along
the Uisong-Sinnyong road in the
vicinity of Chongno. But, Gen.
MacArthur’s headquarters said,
the South Koreans regained the
territory in a counterattack and
late reports said their lines are
holding while reports from the
South Korean battlefront showed
U. N. forces were either holding
their own or advancing slightly,
the U. S. army showed concern in
Washington over its disclosure
that Chinese communist have
massed two armies in Manchuria
near the Korean border.
The number of Chinese Reds
concentrated in this section was
said to be 20,000. A U. S. army
spokesman said 120 huge tanks
have been sent to the North Ko
rean communists from the Hus
sian controlled port of Dairen.
This report came on the heels
of Red China’s accusation that the
United States committed an ag
(Continued on Page Two)
George Armitage, Hawaiian Tourist
Assn. Head Visits Nome
George Armitage, executive secretary of the Hawaiian Tourist
Assn., and publisher in Honolulu, accompanied by George Sundborg,
of the Alaska Development Board, were guests of the Chamber of
Commerce Sunday afternoon at a special luncheon at the Bering Sea
Club to discuss the potentialities of increasing the tourist business to
a first rate Alaskan industry.
It was stated at the meeting that this was the 30th meeting held in
Alaska since August 6th with meetings being held with Alaskan
groups on the average of one to three a day.
Mr. Armitage explained how Hawaii and Alaska have a lot in
common, insomuch that their economy is limited. He stated that Hawaii
has been promoting its tourist industry for 50 years until it is the num
ber three industry there, which last year brought in $40,000,000.00. He
explained how it started in 1920 with the business men subscribing
$18,000 as the initial fund for tourist promotion and getting matching
funds from the Territorial Legislature, and how this year the members
of the Tourist Assn, subscribed $500,000, which was also matched by
the legislature. This is not considered a donation, but a sound invest
ment.
It was explained that Alaska has advantages over Hawaii in the de
velopment of the industry, as Hawaii is completely isolated by water
whereas Alaska can be reached by water, rail, bus and private auto
mobile. Mr. Armitage stated, “I am a great believer in tourism, it is
inexhaustible.”
In answer to questions asked concerning how to treat tourists, Mr.
Armitage stated that just plain friendliness, and an attitude of appre
ciation for the visitors coming here is the most important factor of all.
It was also brought out in the meeting that our neighbor Canada
reaped an income of $270,000,000 with tourists last year.
Mr. C. C. Carr, business man of Chicago, where he is a member of
the Chamber of Commerc, backed up the program and praised the
excellent organization of the Hawaiians.
Mr. Armitage and Mr. Sundborg left last evening for Fairbanks
and planned to leave for Ft. Yukon this morning.
»