22 NOME NUGGET
OLDEST NEWSPAPER IN ALASKA—MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS
VOL. XL VIII. No. 129 NOME, ALASKA. MONDAY, OCTOBER 28, 1946PER COPY_15c
'
Chinese Make Two
Pronged Offensive
tOn Dairen
(By TOM MASTERSON)
PEIPING, UP)—Wily Gen. Tu
Li-Ming scored one of the biggest
surprises of the civil war today
by launching a two-pronged of
fensive by Chinese government
^troops against Dairen, the chief
port of Manchuria, in a move to
control the entire south Manchur
ian coast and cut off the Chinese
Communists from support by sea.
The Communists and everyone
else expected General Tu to re
sume his northward advance
toward Harbin in central Man
churia. But instead he sent two
armies southward down the Liao
tung peninsula from Anshan and
Antung to catch the enemy nap
ping. Icy weather in the north
may have dictated the change in
strategy.
Both prongs were approximate
ly 90 miles from Dairen, the big
seaport 30 miles from the Russian
naval base of Port Arthur.
Capture of Dairen probably
would pose international compli
cations. Travelers from that area
have reported the city full of Sov
iet troops, and there was a ques
tion whether in that case Nation
alist troops would be welcome.
There was no indication here
how many Chinese Communist
troops were occupying the city.
Entry of the Generalissimo’s
forces into Dairen could well
bring about another tense occupa
tion situation such as existed early
i this year at Mukden, where both
Soviet and Chinese government
authorities sought to run the city.
The Nationalists severed the
Communists’ overland supply
route between north China and
Manchuria in their vigorous north
China offensive which culminated
in the capture of Kalgan. Now
General Tu’s troops, in concert
with a government attack on Che
foo, at the tip of the Shantung
* peninsula in north China, threat
ened to sever the Reds’ sea route.
ANNOUNCEMENT
The local chapter of the
American Red Cross is or
ganized for relief measures.
Any persons needing help
may contact either Mrs.
’Stanley Morgan, chairman
of the local chapter, or
John McNees, local chair
man of disaster committee.
MUSICAL OFFSPRING — Young Steve Massey, 3,
demonstrates for his father, singer Curt Massey, that musical
ability really runs in the family.
Krug Discuses
Alaska Transporta
tion Expansion
WASHINGTON, (/P)—Plans fur
expansion of Alaska’s transporta
tion system are being discussed by
government departments, Julius
Krug, secretary of the interior,
disclosed today.
In an article written for the
army transportation journal, Krug
said that much of the program, in
cluding construction of railroads,
j port facilities and highways, still
is under discussion between the
(Continued on Page Five)
May Have Found Piece
Of Weaver's Plane
______
Word has been received from i
Kotzebue that a piece of fabric i
from an airplane drifted in seven
miles south of Kotzebue, which is
believed to belong to the plane
lost last week which was piloted
by the veteran flyer, Norman
Weaver. It has not been positively
identified however, and Mrs. Don
Travis of the Alaska Airlines of
fice states that they awaiting an
other message from there before
they can be certain.
Word was received at press
time that the piece of fabric has
been positively identified as part
of the plane piloted by Weaver.
CMLI Permits Small
Boat Load ings
SEATTL, (A,»—Without protest
by the AFL master mates and pi
lots association, several small can
nery tenders and fishing boats
were loading or planning to load
groceries and other relief supplies
today for Alaska, hard hit by the
maritime strike.
Among them was the seine boat,
North Pacific, which was loading,
and the cannery tender Isis, char
tered for a southeastern Alaska
trip.
“We are clearing all boats of
this type with relief cargoes,”
Cupt. C. F. Peterson, acting agent
for the masters, mates and pilots
association said.
Governor Gruening had asked
for one large ship for a trip north.
The ClO-committee for maritime
unity had aproved the request two
days earlier.
REPORTED MISSING
Rumors are flying rampant that
Emil Laurin, owner of the Lin
coln Hotel and Bar, and Ernest
Balsinger have been missing since
the collapse of the Lincoln Hotel
building into the sea. Anyone
knowing their whereabouts please
report to the U. S. Marshal’s of
fice.
' (Editor’s note—We printed the same headline a year ago today!)
With winds as high as 56 miles per hour, Nome bat
tled another disastrous storm with water encroaching
further on higher ground than it has ever reached in
previous storms.
The Weather Bureau issued a storm warning last
Friday and the wind gradually increased to gale inten
sity all through the night. During Friday night many of
the business houses on the south side of Front street
Maritime Strike
Settlement Looks
Brighter
SAN FRANCISCO, (^—Nego
tiations for settlement of the four
week old maritime strike on the
Pacific Coast will be resumed at
3 p.m., today amid encouraging
! signs arising from the agreements
ending the tie-up on the Atlantic
seaboard.
A conditional offer to end the
West Coast strike wcs made over
the week end by Harry Bridges,
■ president of the international
, longshoremen’s union.
The waterfront employers’ as
sociation and the longshoremen’s
union were to meet at 3 o’clock
for the announced purpose of
“completing negotiations.”
Preferential emnloyment of
union members is the chief issue
in the demand of MEBA and the j
MMP. This was granted by East
Coast employers, but with the
stipulation that ship captains are
exempt.
Nearly 200 ships are tied up by
the strike in the Bay region.
CMU Delays O.K.
Of Emergency
Relief Ship
JUNEAU—(Office of the Gov-'
ernor>—The following was re
ceived from Lt. Comdr. E. P.
Chester, Jr., naval aide to Cover- j
nor of Alaska, in Seattle regard
ing relief ships:
“At noon today (Friday) com-1
pleted a survey of all supplies of j
food, clothing and emergency
medical supplies and livestock
feed to the following ports and
cities serviced through these
ports: Kodiak, Seldovia, Seward,
Cordova, Valdez, Yakutat. Survey
indicates that vessel selected
should have a minimum capacity
of 3866 weight tons, broken down
as follows: dry stores 3322 tons,
refrigerated cargo 410 tons, cooler
cargo 134 tons.
“Maritime commission in Seat
tle has been requested to desig
nate a vessel to meet these re
quirements. The vessel was not
Continued on Page Three
'were forced to call for help and
empty merchandise from their
basements which were filling rap
idly with water. By noon on Sat
urday. Duke’s and Vi's and the
Lumen Commercial Co. shop,
Richter Photos, the Mitrovitch
home were awash and the Lincoln
Hotel had collapsed completely.
The Healy brothers, who live
on the main road half way to the
Font Davis, report the road com
pletely washed out. They were
brought to town by an amphibious
jeep of the ACS.
The King Island village lost
several buildings, others were
pulled to the foothills. All women
and children were evacuated to
the Native Service school early
Saturday.
The water crossed the road all
along the east end of town mak
ing the road impassable for cars.
The Northern Light and Power
Co. had a crew of fifty men filling'
sand bags to save their under
mined fuel oil tank which listed
about 15 degrees before the storm
subsided. Their bulkhead is till
standing but all sand is washed
out behind it and minor damage
was done to the plant itself from
the pounding surf.
About noon Polot’s Store asked
for assistance as their large south
warehouse buckled in the middle,
and winter flour, sugar and other
foods were hastily dumped into
trucks as the whole floor gave
way.
The Lomen Commercial Co.
with a crew of men battled to save
as much equipment as possible
from their machine shop, but
much of it is still in the building
which is badly damaged.
The first building to collapse
was the Lincoln Hotel, which is a
total loss.
Duke’s and Vi’s has been pulled
to the north side of the street next
to Munz Air Service, but the other
two adjacent buildings also owned
by Duke Mitrovitch, the Richter
Photos and the Mitrovitch home
were completely demolished.
Credit for saving much of the
food and other merchandise be
long to the U. S. Army who, under
the direction of Col. John Bodle
and his officers, gave assistance
wherever necessary, and with
speedy and orderly dispatch and
allocation of trucks and men.
(Continued on Page Six)