SEWARD’S
All-tWeathec
SEAPORT
Is Alaska's
Greatest Asset
Seward Seaport Record
THE ONLY NEWSPAPER IN THE WORLD THAT GIVES A HOOT ABOUT SEWARD. ALASKA
Vol. VI, No. 97
SEWARD, ALASKA, TUESDAY, JUNE 6, 1950
Price 10 Cents
Fire Danger Is
Very Critical
Without Rain
The present fire danger in the
woods is the most critical so far
this year, reported Max V.
Reger, head Forest Service offi
cer for the Kenai division.
“Reports from our outlying
stations and weather data main
tained at the Kenai Lake Ranger
Station indicate that the greatest
precaution possible should be
taken in regard to campfires,
brush fires and cigarettes,” Re
ger stated. "We have had only
a small amount of rain in the
past ten days while the tempera
.ture has gone up and the fuel
moisture down.”
Reger has advised all resi
dents along the Seward-Hope
Cooper Landing road system to
refrain from burning brush until
after the first good rain. All
campers and fishermen on na
tional forest land are advised to
be doubly certain that their
campfires are dead out. Motor
ists should carry ash trays for
the proper disposal of matches,
cigarettes, cigars and pipe heels.
Speeder patrol on The Alaska
Railroad and a mobile highway
patrol are on duty seven days
per week during this critical
period of fire danger.
Jesse Lee Homers
Busy As Bees
Both boys and girls at Jesse
Lee Home are busy this week
housecleaning. The boys decided
to redecorate their lounge and
make a reading and recreation
room for their own use.
Incidentally, they need some
furniture, and are asking that
anyone in town who has a chair,
table, rugs, lamps, or anything
that can be used in the new rec
room, let the boys have it.
I Not to be outdone by mere
boys, the girls, too. have started
a housecleaning campaign. Soon
the old Home will shine and
they will be ready for the tour
ist season which always brings
many visitors.
Last Sunday evening the Jesse
Lee Youth Fellowship group
l\eld their meeting at the end
of Nash Road, near the pros
pective college site. The discus
sion. led by Walter Berntsen
and Ernest Brown, was on the
subject of The Lord’s Prayer.
A huge bonfire on the beach
was the center of activity after
the meeting, and was a swell
spot for the toasting of marsh
mallows.
Mrs. Dorothy Inman, who
came from Metlakatla two years
ago to cook for the children
at the Home is preparing 20
pies for dinner today from rhu
barb fresh from the Jesse Lee
garden.
Baseball season is in full
swing, the boys went swimming
in First Lake for the first time
this season, the farm and gar
den are planted and receive the
close attention that makes the
Jesse Lee garden the envy of
the town.
Mr. McKinney, the farmer,
was called home to Ashton, Iowa
suddenly by the illness of his
father, so “Skip” Brown, whose
father is on the staff at the
school, is helping the boys in the
(Turn to Page 4)
Water Condition
Reported
Not Too Serious
Wm. L. Deering, sanitation
officer of the Department of
Health who has been appointed
to Seward and the Kenai Pen
insula, stated to the city council
last night that the reported con
tamination of the city water
need not cause too much dis
turbance or worry on the part
of the people. It was found in
the samples taken from only
one block in the down town
area, and he expects to locate
the cause of contamination very
shortly.
Mr. Deering stated that often,
defective plumbing can cause
contamination of the water
supply in the local area. After
inspection of the plumbing in
the block, it should be imme
diately cleared up.
Garbage disposal and the con
trol of rodents will be among
the first of Mr. Deering's pro
jects in Seward. He will also
assist the City Health Officer
in the inspection and enforce
ment of sanitary rules.
Vacation School At
Catholic Church
Two Sisters of Providence,
teachers from Fairbanks, ar
rived June 5 to conduct the
three weeks religious vacation
school at the Catholic Church.
Twenty to twenty-five chil
dren from the ages of 6 to 14
years are enrolled, four of them
from Homer, for the session
which is divided into two class
es. One will meet in the quon
set, the other in the Rectory.
School will begin at 9:00 o'clock
Wednesday morning with Holy
Mass followed by classes in
Christian doctrine and liturgical
practices, visual aids, art and
singing.
The afternoon session will
close at 2:20 with the benedic
tion of the Most Blessed Sacra
ment.
Sister Ignatia Marie taught
last year's two week session
which was very successful, but
Sister Mary Maurice, who has
been one year in Fairbanks, is
new to Seward. Mrs. Eleanor
DeLoughery will teach Ahe
music classes.
4TH OF JULY DRESSMAKING
GETTING UNDER WAY
The topic of conversation
these days among the ladies
is the how and where to get
pioneer days dresses for the 4th
of July celebration.
Seward women have been
asked by the Fourth of July
Committee to wear long dresses
for at least a week before the
celebration if possible, and in
any case to wear them for the
dance.
One group is getting together
with patterns and designs to
make their own dresses. It is
hoped that a welcoming com
mittee in costume can be ar
ranged to meet the passenger
ship which will be in on the
day of the 4th.
A “bear" was seen on Mara
thon Saturday and caused some
lively interest for a few minutes.
A pair of field glasses disclosed
the bear to be wearing dark
trousers and a light shirt. Ex
citement died down. Shucks!
Hospital And
High School
Plan Submitted
A special meeting of the
council on Wednesday night will
prepare the application papers
for GSA preliminary planning
on the proposed hospital and
high school buildings.
Plans were submitted by the
hospital board for a 75 bed
building, the location for which
has not been definitely decided.
Financing of the project by a
plan suggested by a member of
the board seemed feasible, and
the council accepted the respon
sibility for submitting the appli
cation for GSA assistance.
A preliminary sketch was
submitted by the school board
for a building in three units
at the total cost of $1 million.
The first unit is to consist of
class rooms and laboratories,
the second and third units to
be an auditorium, gymnasium
and swimming pool. All plans
are made as a long term pro
ject, and are only preliminary.
If. however, the application for
planning is laid before the Pub
lic Works Administration pre
vious to the 1951 appropriation,
they can receive the considera
tion of that body within the
year.
SMORGASBORD FOR MEN
OF ALL AGES
The American Legion Aux
iliary, in a move to concentrate
the interest of menfolk in the
activities of the boys in town,
are offering a bang-up dinner
for fathers and sons on Sat
urday, June 17, in the Metho
dist Church dining room.
It is suggested that men who
do not have sons can borrow
one or more for the occasion.
The charge will be $2.00 per
plate except for men under ten
years of age, who will be asked
to pay $1.00 for all they can
eat. Nothing namby-pamby, but
real he-man eats.
The dinner will be served
from 6:30 to 7:30 in the eve
ning, and in order to be in on
it, reservation must be made
by calling Mrs. Frank Mitchell
at Madison 155, with tickets
purchased by June 14.
GOOD CONGREGATION
FOR FAREWELL SERMON
There was a good turn out
to hear Rev. A. O. Odegaard's
farewell sermon at the Seward
Lutheran Church Monday night.
A number of out of town visi
tors were present.
Cake and coffee were served
in a social hour after the serv
ice and the minister was pre
sented with a gift of ivory. He
will leave Anchorage shortly
to attend the Lutheran Con
ference in Minneapolis, after
which he will go on to Pontiac.
Michigan. The Odegaards will
drive back to Anchorage over
the Alaska Highway sometime
in the summer.
Mrs. Gordon Black has just
returned from a months vacation
in the States, where she visited
two daughters and their families
in California and Wisconsin, and
visited other friends and rela
tives in her home town of Clear
Lake, Wisconsin.
Council Appoints
New Manager
For Housing Area
Mr. J. R. Jackson was appoint
ed manager of the Seward Hous
ing Area to replace Mr. George
Turnbull, who was manager
under the Veterans’ Housing Ad
ministration.
The project was turned over
to the city as of Jan. 1, 1950,
and Mr. Turnbull was retained
until other arrangements could
be made.
All business with and for the
tennants will be carried on at
the office, residence of Mr.
Jackson, except the collection
of rent. Rent will still be paid
at the City Hall.
'Don't Pet A Moose
Calf,' Is Warning
“Oh, isn't he cute!” say the
people who come upon a wide
eyed, unsuspicious, ungainly
moose calf whose mother has
trotted off to watch the pro
ceedings from a distance.
They go up to the moose calf
and pet it and have their pic
tures taken with it. Then, be
cause the calf is too big to pack
home and they wouldn't know
what to feed it anyhow—besides
the fact that it is illegal to kid
nap a baby moose from its par
ents—the people go off and
leave it.
The people have been lucky
that the mother moose didn’t get
her dander up and charge them
as they approached junior. She
often does.
However, now the moose calf,
that ‘cute little thing’, is apt
to suffer and die because of
the people’s interest in it. The
mother, if she sees people touch
it, may not even return to the
calf at all. If she does return
and smells the man scent, more
; likely than not, she will aban
don the calf, leaving it to starve.
Five or six abandoned calves
have been reported in the An
chorage area already.
So, for the sake of the calves
| as well as yourselves, Carlos
Carson, enforcement agent of
U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service,
urges all people to keep away
from moose calves.
THE GHOST OF OLD
SLEWFOOT?
A boar story is going the
rounds this week of the Biggest
Brownie of them all. No one has
seen him yet, but his tracks are
! so long that they measure the
1 length of a woman's arm from
her elbow to fingertips!
The giant bear is ranging
■ around Cooper Landing. He has
been heard snuffing around a
cabin and in the brush, tracks
are found every morning, but.
so far, the big fellow might as
well be the ghost of old Slew
foot, or some other fabulous
brownie, since no one has caught
a glimpse of him.
Mothers are terrified, how
ever. not daring to allow small
children to wander out of doors.
Such an animal, however large
or small it might be. is a menace
in the widely scattered settle
ment. Hunters are on the look
out but so far without any luck
—so the story goes. ,
Jim Aylen and Marvin Mc
Nutt were down from Anchor
age last week in Mr. McNutt's
plane.
Soldiers Spend
Busy Weekend
In Seward
j The first group of service per
sonnel to visit the Seward Fish
ing and Recreation Center were
to return to Anchorage by rail
today after spending five days
fishing, taking pictures or relax
ing, according to Maj. Joseph
Hartley III, Special Services Of
ficer, U.S. Army, Alaska.
The center is operated to pro
vide a suitable place for service
men to enjoy fishing, hiking, and
other recreational sports.
Deep sea fishing enthusiasts
may pursue that sport on two
“J” boats, with the alternative
of fishing in the various streams
. in the area or going to Kenai
Lake, where two more “J” boats
are waiting for the fishermen.
Miss Kay Kellett, program
hostess, hopes to set up a photo
laboratory in the near future so
the shutter-bug fans will be able
to develop their film.
Dependents may accompany
the servicemen after the 15th of
June providing they are over 14
years of age.
Only 25 soldiers were in the
first group, but reports are that
officers in Fort Richardson and
the Port of Whittier are swamp
ed with requests for leave at the
new center.
The first group had a fishing
trip to Bear Lake, Ptarmigan
Creek and Russian River with
Doug Keating as guide. Not
many fish were caught but they
did catch sight of the pinto
moose that has been reported by
others. Those who were unlucky
at fresh water fishing had an all
day trip Sunday in the J-boat
down the bay. They put in at
Thumb's Cove for swimming.
Monday night a dance at the
barracks rec-hall made fun for
everybody. Nurses from the San
atorium and some local girls
were guests, and they all pro
nounce the dance to have been
“swell.” Square dances and sev
eral elimination dances were
very popular. Sandwiches and
punch were served, and the 1
dance broke up at 11:30.
The weekly dances at the rec
hall will be on invitation only.
Girls who would like to par
ticipate in the recreation pro
gram are asked to place their
names on the invitation list by
calling Mrs. Dave Fleming at
Main 96. Parents are assured
that their girls will be called for
and escorted home by the chap
eron of the dance, Miss Kellett.
Future plans include “Date
Trips,” which are Sunday, chap
eroned all day trips on the J
boat on the bay. No girls except
those whose names are on the
invitation list will be allowed
either at the dances or on the
Sunday excursions. Every pre
caution is taken to guard the
young women from all possible
danger.
LEGION GIFT TO CITY
A resuscitator, for the pur
pose of reviving victims of
drowning and smoke, a gift to
the City of Seward from Amer
ican Legion Post No. 5, arrived
late this afternoon. It will be
given into the custody of the
Volunteer Fire Dept., aud kept
with fire fighting equipment for
immediate use.