THE NOME NUGGET
Published Monday, Wednesday and Friday by the
NOME PUBLISHING CO.
NOME, ALASKA
Telephone: Main 125 P. O. Box 618
$1.50 PER MONTH $16.00 A YEAR
W. A. Boucher ...Owner-Publisher
Entered as second class matter October 14, 1943, at the postoffice
At Nome, Alaska, under the Act of March 3, 1879.
Nome, Alaska, Wednesday, November 16, 1949
A. A. C. S. CELEBRATES 10th ANNIVERSARY
(By S7Sgt. Robert Rogge)
To all Alaskans who fly and to all those who make
their living in some way with aircraft, this month stands
out as the anniversary of the most important link to
safety and communication the pilot has in the Territory
—the A.A.C.S. Ten years ago the Airways and Air
Communications Service was inaugurated and imrnedi
ately set up 33 stations throughout the world, manned
by 3 officers and fewer than 300 enlisted men. They pro
vided world-wide airways communications facilities.
From those tiny beginnings the A.A.C.S. grew to a net
work of 819 stations manned by 4500 officers and 45,000
airmen. At the peak of its operations, the A.A.C.S. used
every available means of communications: teletype, in
strument landing systems, control towers, ground con
trolled approach systems, long range aid, direction find
ing instruments and automatic transmission equipment.
It was the A.A.C.S. that spearheaded the Berlin Airlift
and brought that momentous peace-time mission to its
successful conclusion. It has been estimated that a pilot
who flew throughout the Airlift gained up to ten years
experience in the use of radio equipment and its com
ponents
Here in Alaska the A.A.C.S. set up its first stations at
Elmendorf Field, Anchorage, and at Ladd Field, Fair
banks, back in 1940 when it wras known as the Air Corps
Detachment Communications. Their mission was to lay
the foundations of an airways communications service
in Alaska. By the end of the first year of the war—1942
—A.A.C.S. had spread in all directions: Annette, Yaku
tat, Uaknek, Fort Randall, Fort Glenn, Cordova, Kodi
ak, Port Heiden, Seguam, Adak, Bruin Bay—taking
over the stations operated by the C.A.A. and A.C.S. and
opening up new stations which operated from tents. In
1943 stations were set up at Amchitka, Juneau, Shemya,
Attu, McGrath, Atka, Buildir, Chuinadak, and Kiska.
The network covered Alaska and airmen were provided
with the latest technical developments in communica
tions, without which they would have been helpless to
operate in Alaska.
Today the A.A.C.S., though vastly reduced through
peacetime demobilizations, still carrier on with its task
of air communications in the Territory. Civilian as well
as military planes are encompassed in the far-reaching
beams that spider-web across the rugged terrain. From
Point Barrow to the Aleutians, the A.A.C.S. maintains
a continual system to guide pilots over Alaska. On Atka,
in the Aleutians, a team of skilled specialists maintain
an airways radio range and air-ground radio station
that serves as a vital link in the chain of stations on the
skyway to Tokyo and the Orient.
The 1804th A.A.C.S. group, with headquarters at An
chorage, has detachments scattered from Thornborough
and Cape Air Force Base in the Chain to Nome and
Point Barrow. Here at Nome the 1930-1 Detachment has
been maintaining the radio beams and aids that guide
our military planes to safety as well as the civilian air
liners and cargo planes that fly in this area.
With the motto: “The extra eyes and ears behind fly
ing safety,” the A.A.C.S. has a proud tradition of faith
ful service behind it; one that is will uphold in the years
to come.
MARCH OF DIMES—JANUARY 16-31, 1950.
Governor Ernest Gruening has accepted chairman
ship of the 1950 March of Dimes in Alaska, Basil O’Con
nor, president of the National Foundation for Infantile
Paralysis, announced in New York, today. It is the Gov
ernor’s ninth consecutive vear as head of the annual
#
fund raising appeal.
As chairman, Governor Greuning will be in charge of
planning, organizing and coordinating all polio drive ac
i Moore Starts On
5,000 Mile Trek
FAIRBANKS, <A»)—With a cry
of "mush,” Cecil A. Moore headed
out Monday afternoon on his 5,000
mile day team trek to Lewiston,
Maine. An overnight heavy snow
fall, the first of the season, cov
| ered the ground.
Moore is making his long jour
ney to raise money for underpriv
ileged children. His sponsor is the
Auburn-Lewiston Lions Club, but
he has said most of the trip will
be self-financed.
| Fairbanks Lions Club members
1 gave the intrepid adventurer a big
send off. He planned to make
| camp Monday night eight miles
down the Alaska Highway which
he will follow to Watson Lake in
northern Canada.
Traveling by road and trail
from there, Moore plans to pass
through Edmonton and Winnipeg
to Minnesota, then turn east to
I Maine. His load includes 12,500
i cacheted envelopes to be mailed
for collectors along the route.
Mrs. Moore expects to meet her
husband n the trail for Christmas.
He is carrying her last letter as a
talisman.
tivities in the Territory.
The March of Dimes is conducted each January by
the National Foundation and its 2,800 county chapters
to finance the nationwide fight against polio in the
fields of patient care, scientific research and profession
al education. The 1950 appeal will be held January 16
31.
Commenting on the governor’s acceptance of Alaska’s
top March of Dimes post, Mr. O’Connor declared that
the National Foundation is now facing the “most cru
cial period” in its twelve-year history.
He described the 1949 polio epidemic as the worst on
record, with more than 40,000 cases expected by the
end of the year. “By December,” he said, “the National
Foundation and its chapters will have spent $31,000,000
assisting polio victims throughout the nation.”
Mr. O’Connor also pointed out that by mid-summer
the national epidemic aid fund had run “dangerously
low” and in September the organization was forced to
conduct a Polis Epidemic Emergeny Drive as a “stop
gap” measure to carry it over until the regular March
of Dimes campaign in January.
From January 1 through September 30, he said, the
National Foundation sent more than $7,000,000 to hard
hit Chapters whose own March of Dimes treasuries
were exhausted caring for local polio patients.
IF I HAD A MILLION
(By Geo. W. Olinger)
If I had a million, I would quietly search for those el
derly women, most of them mothers, who through no
fault of their own, are obliged in their sunset years, to
go out to work, washing, scrubbing, dusting the offices
and homes of others.
These heroic souls who must earn their way to the
end of the trail, whose gray hair is the symbol of Amer
ica’s best woman-hood, desire only the peace and con
tentment of a home, and freedom from worry, work, and
fear.
Build, if you will, your great monuments and memo
rials: give your bonuses to the return soldiers, who are
still able to work; but surely no individual, city or
State could do better than to provide generouslv for
those who have given so much to so many and who ask
in return so very little.
THE BALANCE OF POWER
THE REST
. OF THE
^ WORLD
SOVIET
CITY COUNCIL
Nome City Council met on Mon
day evening at the city hall in
regular session with Mayor Steve
Anderson presiding.
The fire agreement between
Marks Air Force Base and Nome
was approved by the council
which provides for co-operation
between the two departments dur
ing fires at the Base and in town.
A letter was read from Bill
Brown, U. S. engineer concerning
the city’s share in the cleaning up
of the beach on the south side of
Front street.
A letter and recommendation.^
to the city was received from the
Board of Fire Underwriters of the
Pacific Coast as a result of the re
cent survey made. Outstanding
recommendations made were that
four volunteer firemen should
sleep at the Fire Station every
night; that regular fire drill's
should be held by the Fire Depart
ment at least twice a month; cer
tain changes should be made in
the fire code; the capacity of the
pumps should be increased; and a
list of minor equipment recom
mended, such as axes, shovels,
picks, etc.
A letter was received from the
highway engineer. John Metcalf,
asking the city to pay one third
of the Territory’s share for the
maintenance of the harbor with
Lomen Commercial company pay
ing another third, leaving the
balance for the Territory. Total
amount being $2,500.00.
With the possibility of the ANS
building being used for various
Territorial agency offices, the
heating plant is being worked
over to allow for segregation of
heating units so that the whole
building will not have to be heat
ed at one time unless entirely oc
cupied.
The sales tax was announced as
still in the hand - of the committee.
Bridge Stree4 was put on the
tax roll, having been sold to the
Lomen Commercial Co., for $150.
It was announced that about a
dozen applications have been re
ceived fo r4he position of Police
Chief and the Police Committee -
working on the matte’’.
The interest on the City’s bond
was announced a- due 4o ’he
amount of $380.00.
NOME'S CUB PACK
COMMITTEE MAKES PLANS
The Pack meeting for Nome -
Cub Pack will be held the las'
! Tuesday of the month, it was de
| cided last night by the pack com
mittee at the committee’s monthly
meeting. The theme this month,
will be “Health,” and the Bob Ca'
1 pins will be awarded to all Cubs
who know the requirements. Gus
Steinwandle, chairman, says that
Cubbing the books will be avail
able by the Pack Meeting at least,
and the Dens can share the books
now on hand until that time.
Wilson Russell was elected
treasurer of the Pack, and keeper
of advancement records.
One Blast Den, which meets in
one blast Fire area, will meet to
day with Mrs. Madsen, and Two
Blast Den meets tomorrow with
Mrs. Munz. The Dens meet sep
arately each week to plan projects
r >r the monthly Pack meeting, and
'o work on their advancements.
The Pack then consists of all cubs
and parents of both dens, who
meet once a month to present their
skits, receive their awards, and
| parents learn better how to pass
: °n their Cubs advancement re
quirements.