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OLDEST NEWSPAPER IN ALASKA—MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS_
VOL.TlV No. 9 NOME, ALASKA, MONDAY, JANUARY 21, 1952 Per Copy—15?
Only Seven of 4,‘> Aboard Survive
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Crash of Korean Airlift Transport
McCHORD AIR FORCE BASE,<*
(^P)—Seven survivors told Sunday
of praying in unison as they
watched 26 passengers of a crash
landed Korean airlift plane swept
one by one to their deaths in
icy North Pacific seas.
Thirty-three of the 43 persons
aboard got out of the plane safely
after it hit the water off the
British Columbia coast. But only
seven remained huddled on the
half-submerged wreckage when
two fishermen arrived with a
skiff.
The seven survivors, flown here
Saturday night from Sandspit
airport in the Queen Charlotte
Islands, told of a 90-minute strug
gle for survival in the icy seas.
They described how, numb with
cold, they clung to a slippery
wing until the rescue boat arrived.
The four-engine plane, inbound
from Japan with troops enroute
home on emergency leave, crash
landed a mile off Sandspit air
port early Saturday after it de
veloped engine trouble.
The survivors said ten were
killed in the crash.
Lt. Donald E. Baker, 26, of
Glendale, Calif., said he tried to
distribute life jackets, but appar
ently nobody used them, and also
helped the pilot and co-pilot in a
futile attempt to get a liferaft
out of the plane’s nose.
Baker said survivors on the
wing “slowly fell away.” “About
three minutes before the boat
came, there were 10. We were
numb with cold and they kept
slipping away from us.”
Pfc. Demetris G. Apostolon, 32,
Hinton, W. Va., said those on the
wing held hands in a chain to
stay there.
“I baptized one boy,” he re
vealed. “He said he believed in
God, but hadn’t been baptized.
He slipped off and drowned a
few minutes later. . .”
Fairbanks
Shivering At
60 Below Zero
FAIRBANKS, (/P)—The temp
erature skidded to 60 degrees
below zero yesterday and Fair
banks’ 20,000 residents, their reg
ular air communication virtually
cut off by the bitter cold, shivered
in a frosty world of their own.
The cold spell, the second in 10
days, held most of the far north
in its grip. It was 78 below zero
at Snag on the Alaska-Canada
border and many interior Alaska
points reported readings of 70
below or colder.
A dense ice fog which always
forms when the mercury drops
below minus 45, forced scheduled
airlines to cancel flights to and
from Fairbanks. The occasional
plane that did arrive took off
again before its engines got cold.
Visibility at night was reduced
to about 30 feet.
Taxis were doing a rushing
business as the cold stalled pri
vate automobiles.
Deliverymen for grocery stores
were the busiest people in town.
They had to race around their
routes, delivering two or three
orders at a time to prevent the
food from freezing.
If they tarried with a load of
groceries, they would have apples
as hard as rocks, eggs that
smashed like glass and canned
goods that had frozen and bulged
the container.
Five Persons Drown
At Skating Party
ODESSA, N.Y., (£>)—A week
end ice skating and sledding
party turned into tragedy when a
20-year-old college student and
four children disappeared through
a soft spot in the ice on Cayuta
Ijake.
A search party of 120 men re
covered the five bodies Sunday.
When last seen Saturday after
noon, Allen Sibley, a Cornell Uni
versity junior, was skating on the
lake, towing two sleds bearing the
children.
McGrath Seeks
Man To Direct
Federal Cleanup
WASHINGTON, (/P)—Attorney
General McGrath shopped around
Saturday outside the government
foT a man to direct his projected
cleanup of corruption in the fed-,
eral machinery.
He said the selection would be
on merit and “without any parti
san consideration” and that the
man would have “broad and un
fettered authority” to ferret out
misconduct among government
officials.
McGrath said “several promi
nent lawyers” are being consid
ered and that the appointee will
be chosen without regard to his
political affiliation.
The post will be that of special
assistant to McGrath to supervise
and coordinate the cleanup pro
gram. It was ordered by Presi
dent Truman in the face of
charges that personal and politi
cal considerations figure in ad
ministration policy.
McGrath called on the 94 dis
trict attorneys in the United
States and its possessions to make
a very much broader use of the
citizen grand jury in pursuing in- j
quiries into cases of “alleged of
ficial misconduct, fraud and
bribery.”
Father Will Accept
Posthumous Award
CASTILE, N.Y., (/P)—-Frank E.
Spring says his soldier son didn’t
die for any one man.
Spring accepted Sunday a post
humous Purple Heart award and
citation made by President Tru
man to his son, an Army Air
Force bombardier who died dur
ing World War II in Germany.
Spring said he would not re
turn the medal awarded his son,
Lt. Megrill T. Spring, even though
he did not agree with the Presi
dent’s policies.
“This would not be in keeping
with the spirit of the boy . . .”
he said. “It was America and not
for any one man for whom my
son died.”
1
Truman Asks 20
Million for Alaska
Public Works
WASHINGTON, (/P)—President
Truman asked Congress today to
appropriate 20 million dollars to
develop public works projects in
Alaska during the 12 months be
ginning July 1.
He disclosed simultaneously he
plans to ask, during the present
fiscal year, for the \V\ million
balance of a 15 million dollar re
volving fund authorized but not
yet appropriated in full for Al
aska housing.
The public works request was
the largest single item included
in the budget for Alaska. Re
quests specifically earmarked for
the territory total $87,688,218.
Together with housing, it
prompted Mr. Truman’s lone ref
erence to Alaska in his budget
message to Congress. Referring
to the need for civilian housing,
he declared:
“At my request, the federal
agencies responsible for housing
and related public works in Al
aska are taking steps to expedite
construction of both the needed
housing and the supporting com
munity facilities.
Other major requests included
17 million for road construction,
16 million for the Alaska Rail
road, and 13 million to step up
construction of the Reclamation
Bureau’s Eklutna project.
To continue exploration and
prospecting in Naval Petroleum
Reserve No. 4, above the Arctic
Circle, the President asked 8Vfe
million.
Other sums sought for Alaska
included: $1,230,000 for Public
Health Service disease and sanita
tion investigation and control; and
$250,000 for improvement of
roads, bridges and trails.
Eisenhower Takes
Pershing’s Seat In
French Academy
J
PARIS, (/P) — Gen. Dwight D.
Eisenhower was made an associ
ate member today of the Academy
of Moral and Political Sciences of
the Institute of France, a 300
year-old French seat of culture
and learning.
In accepting the honor, he told
the members of the academy in a
speech that the task of forming
an international defense force to
resist communist aggression “is a
task of a scope never before seen
in peacetime, even during the
three centuries of the existence
of this ancient institution.”
The general said “the freedom
loving peoples of the world have
now embarked on a great collect
ive effort to preserve those things
which make life worth living.
“We can succeed in this great
endeavor only of each and every
one of us is willing to give the
full measure of courage, sacrifice,
work and vision; not in a divided
effort, but working together in
the pursuit of our common goal.”
- The academy elected General
Eisenhower to the foreign associ
ate’s seat once held by Gen. John
J. Pershing. The seat had been
vacant since Pershing’s death. .
Truman Presents Unprecedented 85
Billion Dollar Peacetime Budget
By CHARLES F. BARRETT S
WASHINGTON, (/P)—President
Truman today sent Congress an
$85,444,000,000 spending budget,
an unprecedented figure except in
all-out war. He said it was “a
heavy burden . . . the price of
peace.”
To lawmakers talking loudly of
economy in this election year,
the President outlined an 11 bil
lion dollar expansion in armed
forces spending to more than 51
billion, including a start on build
ing the air force from 90 wings
to 143.
And he gave notice, in a budget
preview for reporters, that a new
five to six billion dollar five-year
expansion program for atomic
energy facilities will go to Con
gress soon. This isn’t included in
his budget for the fiscal year
starting July 1, he said, because
it would be spent later—in con
nection with some fantastic wea
pons.
He said his foreign aid pro
gram, under especially heavy
criticism, “is vital and indispens
able ... in the total fight for
security and peace.”
His budget, he said in his an
nual message, “is carefully plan
ned to carry us a long way for
ward on the road to security.” He
warned there is grim evidence
“the Kremlin would not hesitate
to resort to war in order to gain
its ends.”
Mr. Truman said without new
taxes, his budget for the fiscal
year beginning July 1 would
plunge the government $14,446,
000,000 further in the red.
The President told reporters he
wants the same rates he asked
for last year when Congress cut
his new tax program from 10 bil
lion to about $5,400,000,000. This
would mean approximately a five
per cent increase in personal in
come taxes, an increase in the
noTmal corporation rate from 52
to 55 per cent, and more excise
(sales) taxes.
He did not mention two contro
versial programs he plumped for
futiley in his last budget — the
Brannon plan of farm subsidiary
and national health insurance.
19 Known Dead In
South Calif. Rains
LOS ANGELES, (/P) — Flooded
Southern California began dig
ging out today from its worst del
uge in 14 years.
The continuing storm which
dumped 7.37 inches of rain on Los
Angeles in three days left 19
known dead and sent damage es
timates soaring into the millions.
It was the worst downpour
since the disastrous flood of
March, '1938, when 11.06 inches
of rain fell in five days and
caused 95 deaths. It was the worst
January downpour since 1916,
when 13.30 inches was recorded
for the entire month.
The U.S. Weather Bureau said
that mark may yet be broken,
because more rain, although not
as much, is forecast for the week
end.
The water was receding Sat
urday. Crews were cleaning deb
ris-ridden streets. Main traffic ar
teries were reopening. In Los An
geles alone, 1,400 men and 300
machines were cleaning up.
Baby Born While
Fire Rages In Building
BOSTON, </P) — Mrs. Louise
Murray, about 33, gave birth to
a son unattended early today as
fire raged near her in a four
story tenement house.
An ambulance and a police
cruiser had been dispatched to
take Mrs. Murray to city hospital.
Two women, who leaped from
windows, were placed in the am
bulance intended for Mrs. Mur
ray and taken to the city hospital
where physicians said their in
juries were not serious.
Fire engines summoned by
police hemmed in the car of Mrs.
Murray’s husband, and prevented
him from taking his wife to the
hospital.
When another ambulance ar
rived for Mrs. Murray, the baby
had already been born. «
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Allies Accused
Of Attack On
Truce Convoy
By ROBERT B. TUCKMAN
MUNSAN, Korea, (JP) — The
U.N. command said today Allied
jets, without meaning to, may
have attacked a communist truce
convoy on the Kaesong - Pyong
yang highway Friday.
At the same time, the Allies
accused the Reds of violating the
agreement guaranteeing freedom
from attack to one northbound
and one southbound convoy daily.
These developments came as
subcommittees working on a Ko
rean armistice again reported no
progress.
The U. N. acknowledged that
four planes bombed and strafed a
bridge and anti-aircraft positions
near where the Reds said a plain
ly marked convoy of two trucks
and a jeep was hid.
Pilots who took part in the at
tack said they sighted no vehicles
in the area, reported Marine Col.
James C. Murray, U.N. staff of
ficer who investigated.
He declared that if a Red truce
convoy were in the attack zone,
it apparently was in violation eft
the agreement permitting a lim
ited number of vehicles to travel
between the North Korean capi
tal and communist truce head
quarters at Kaesong.
Russia’s 300 to 400 Subs
Potent War Force
WASHINGTON, 0P) — Russia’s
submarine fleet is a potent war
force, says Secretary of the Navy
Kimball, and has grown from 50
to 300 or 400, compared with the
U.S. Navy’s gain from 70 to 100.
While the Scrviets have “no sub
stantial surface fleet,” their ex
panded underwater service in a
war “would constitute a very real
threat,” Kimball said yesterday
on the CBS television program
“See It Now.”
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