SEWARD’S
All-cWeatKec
SEAPORT
Is Alaska’s
Greatest Asset
Seward SeaporFRecord
Territorial Library 1-50
Vol. VI, No. 22
SEWARD, ALASKA, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 1949
Price 10 Cents
Ini Dept. Asks
Practical Aid
For Homestead
Special aids of a practical nature
are being devised by the Interior
Department for the settlement and
development of Alaska, according
to a special Washington Dispatch
received Friday from Assistant Sec
retary of the Interior William E.
Warne. Warne is expected here at
the end of the month.
Figures show that around 12,000
acres of Alaska land were used
last year to raise agricultural crops
out of an estimated 2.000.000 acres.
Any substantial increase in per
manent population will depend i
upon both private initiative and
government cooperation.
Special Aids
The special aids proposed are
contained in a bill proposed by
Secretary J. A. Krug. It calls for
assistance in early years in con
nection with clearing land, build
ing roads and docks, and availa
bility of needed credit.
A special provision for group set
tlement is contained in the pro
posed law. also for townsite loca
tion and for transferring lands to
private ownership.
Withdrawals
It is in the interest of encourag
ing settlement in Alaska that cer
ain areas have been withdrawn for
carrying out necessary investiga
tions. On those areas in the Kenai
Peninsula and in the vicinity of
Fairbanks, studies are currently
being carried out in the interest of
ascertaining physical characteris
tics of the soil so that farm tracts
r suitable*.size and shap£. n ay b»
laid out for settlement.
Group Settlement
The idea of group settlement has
been tried out successfully in the
Matanuska Valley, although a
great many difficulties were en
countered. The group settlement
areas in the new program would
cover only a small percentage of
available land and it is believed
that the new program would mini
mize the difficulties previously en
countered.
In these settlement areas each
entryman could gain title to one
town lot as well as his homestead
and it would be possible for him
to borrow money for development.
The Reconstruction Finance Cor
poration would be authorized to
grant special loans to any business
enterprise for use in developing
settlement areas.
The repayment of such loans to
settlers would be secured by mort
gages against their lands and im
provements.
The Bureau of the Budget has
advised that there would be no
objection to the presentation of
the proposal to Congress since the
objectives of expanded settlement
of Alaska are fully in accord with
President Truman’s program.
Union Dance Brings
Firemen $627.60
For Building Fund
In the final accounting that took
place this week the Labor Day
dance given by the two Seward
Longshoremen’s Unions proved to
be a financial as well as a social
success.
With all expenes paid, the bal
ance showed a profit of $627.60,
which was turned over to the Sew
ard Volunteer Fire Department.
Work on the second story of the
fire hall began this week, while
finishing work on the first floor
progresses. The upper story will be
of cinder block and concrete con- .
struction. When completed the sec-1
ond story will have rooms for the !
city clerk’s office as well as a I
meeting room for the City Council1
and Fire Department. In the rear |
on the second floor will be an
apartment for the fire chief.
It was estimated that about $10.
000 would be needed to complete
the job, with the City advancing
$5,000 of it. The Fire Department
had about $2,500 and expected to
raise more. The $627 from the
Unions’ benefit dance will aid ma
terially.
This dance was the first affair
of its kind sponsored by the unions
and they wish to thank all those
who cooperated with them.
Donations were made by the
Alaska Shop and Fountain, the
Seward Bakery, Tony's Bar, The
Bar. The Palace, Novick’s, Seward
Bar, Hinie's Liquor Store, Gil’s
Cocktail Lounge, The Legion Club.
Moose Bar, The Northern, The
Brown Bear, Nobby Club. Elks
[ Club, and Seward Trading Co.
Episcopal Pastor
Assumes Duties r —
The Rev. L. Russell Clapp, suc
cessor to the Rev. Edward M. Tur
ner as pastor of St. Peter’s Episco
pal Church, arrived in Seward with
his family Thursday.
The Rev. Clapp comes to Seward
from Beach Haven, N.J. Before
Beach Haven he was at German
town, near Philadelphia, Pa.
He was educated at Nashotash
House in Nashotash, Wisconsin,
which school Father Turner also at
tended. This is his first acquaint
ance with Alaska.
Mrs. Clapp arrived here with him
as well as their four children. The
children are Nicholas, twins John
and Mary, and three-year-old Kath
arine.
There will be services at the
usual hours of eight and eleven
Sunday morning, wr i t n Sunday
School at 9:45 A.M.
OBIE O'BRIAN FUNERAL
TO BE HELD SUNDAY
Funeral services for Obie O’Brian
will be held in the Methodist
Church Sunday afternoon at 2:00
o’clock.
Interment will be in the Seward
Cemetery.
Plebiscite Administrator Meets U.N. Internes
A group of forty young men and women from 28 countries is this
year training for an eight-week period at U.N. Headquarters where
they are assigned to different departments in the Secretariat to
learn the work of the Organization. Here, Admiral Chester Nimitz
of the United States, UJ(. Plebiscite Administrator for Jammu and
Kashmir, explains his contemplated mission to interested "internes”
Kaniz Ataullah (right) of Pakistan, and Surgit Singh, of India.
I
No Polio From
Alaska’s Public
Water Supplies
Reassurance that there is no evi
dence of the spread of poliomye
litis by public water supplies was
given recently by one of the na
tion's leading edipemiologists, Ken
neth F. Maxcy, M.D., professor of
epidemiology at Johns Hopkins
University. Writing for the Journal
of the American Water Works As
sociation, technical and professional
society of the nation's water works
experts, Dr. Maxcy surveyed the
results of half a century of epi
demiological studies and laboratory
experiments by a host of investiga
tors. In not a single one of these
investigations was there found
convincing evidence that pollution
of a community water supply was
responsible for exposure of con
sumers to infection with the polio
virus.
What Dr. Maxey found to be def- j
initely established is the fact that
the principal means of cornmunica-1
tion of polio, not unlike other com
mon contageous diseases, is some
form of personal contact, or, as he
expressed it “intimate personal as
sociation . . . realized in communal
living of any social group, from the
primitive to the most advanced, at
any time of year, in any part of
the world.” And though it logically
follows from this that the disease
could be spread indirectly by flies,
milk or water contaminated with
the discharges from infected per
sons, all attempts to demonstrate
he 'polio virus in suspected drink
ing water have so far been unsuc
cessful. ‘ _
Although he urged a continued
investigation of the effect of stan
dard water purification practices on
the removal of viruses. Dr. Maxey
did not hesitate to state that the
present methods of water treat
ment, and particularly the dosage
of free chlorine customarily used
in water disinfection, afforded an
adequate safeguard. "Present day
knowledge,” he concluded, “does
not justify anxiety over the safety
of public water supplies so far as
the spread of poliomyelitis con
cerned."
Bear Existence
In Seward ! !
Residents of the lower end of
Seward from Adams Street down
and next to the mountain were an
noyed several- nights this week by
the furious barking of dogs. It
seems that a brow-pie had taken
possession of Bear Mountain and
for several days people on the
streets and dock w-atched the antics
of the big fellow in the berry patch
just above timber line.
He was buzzed several times by
a plane, but ignored it completely.
Finally Gene Coombs went up after
the bear. Watchers say the animal
was fully aware of the man and
went on calmly feeding until Gene
got within distant rifle range of
him, then took off over the top. He
hasn’t been seen since, however,
so a miss was as good as a hit in
this case, even though Mr. Brownie
went away witji the pelt which
Gene pictured hanging on his own
wall.
Speakin? of Bears
Pat Bogan is telling a story on
himself this week. We got this sec
ond hand, so you will have to talk
to Pat to hear the whole tale. It
seems that Mr. Bogan met a
Brownie while moose hunting. He
walked up close to the animal be
fore seeing it. When he looked up,
the bear was standing with his
forefeet braced against two trees
and was scratching his back on the
third tree. Pat, it is said, swears
that the bear was ten feet high,
but was so engrossed in the back
scratching pleasure that he didn’t
pay much atention to Pat, but the
latter immediately lost his burning
desire to kill a brown bear and
(Turn to Page 4)
Seward Republicans
Work For Larger
Turnout Of Voters
The Seward Republican Club in
its first fall meeting held Monday
evening at the Marathon Cafe re
elected the officers of the past year
in a body to serve another year.
Marvin Viale, president; Thor
Osbo, vice president; Mildren Kirk
patrick, secretary, and Sylvia Sex
ton, treasurer.
A committee was appointed to
canvass the town to get the eligible
voters registered and to try to bring
out a larger vote in the coming
election. No candidates were en
dorsed for office, and no discussion
of the election was made, the only
interest of the club being to inter
est the townspeople in voting.
Henry A. Benson, Territorial
Commissioner of Labor and a mem
ber of the Alaska Central Commit
tee of the Republican party, was
guest of the group and made a?i
informal talk. Mrs. Helen Brosius
of Seward, treasurer of the Repub
lican Central Committee and a
member of the Seward Club, was
also present and spoke to the as
sembly.
Hunters Advised By
USFS and FWS
Grave concern over the welfare
of a hunting party from Seward
which is overdue to return from
Montague Island, makes the fol
lowing release from tlje Forest
Service and Fish & Wildlife Se.v
ice particularly pointed today.
Besides the usual equipment of
guns and ammunition, good knife
or axe. waterproof match contain
er, and compass, piece of candle
and warm dry clothing, the raf-'&so
continues with the following ad
vice:
When you land on the beach or
even before reaching the shore, size
up the country you intend to hunt.
Select some prominent mountain,
hill or natural feature and deter
mine its relation to the area you
will hunt. If these are not visible
such as would be the case in a flat
country or during foggy weather,
a compass bearing of the direction
you intend to take will be helpful.
This should be supplemented as
you proceed.
Don’t go farther than you can
safely expect to return before dark.
If you*should get caught out over
night, build a fire and make your
self comfortable. Do not attempt
to travel through the woods at
night.
Observe the direction of every
stream course and keep account of
the number of streams you cross.
If you Become temporarily lost or
confused sit down and figure out
how it happened. Don't go aimless
ly on if you are lost. If you are
certain you are lost, give the signal
of distress — three shots ' spaced
about 10 seconds apart. Repeat this
some 30 to 60 minutes later.
If you are not incapacitated, find
an open spot and build a smudge
fire. If a searching plane is in sight,
wave something of a contrasting
color to your background, such as
your undershirt, and walk around
so the pilot will know you are not
badly injured.
If you have to leave your deer,
moose or other game in the woods
overnight, be extremely cautious
when approaching the area the
next day because bears may have
discovered and claimed the carcass
and will resent anyone interfering
with their claims. Many encounters
with bears are caused by disregard
of this danger.
Last year near Ketchikan a hunt
er saw movement in the brush,
fired at what he thought might be
a deer and shot and killed a hunt
ing companion.
Two years ago near Seward a girl
hiker was shot and killed by two
hunters who thought they saw a
bear climbing the mountain.
Be sure you have a clear view of
your target (legal game) before
(Turn to Page 4)
Archbishop Of
Regina Speaks
Here Monday
The Most Reverand John M.
O’Neil, Archbishop of Regina, Sas
katchewan, will be in Seward Mon
day with The Most Reverand Fran
cis D. Gleeson, Bishop of Alaska.
These two high dignitaries of the
Catholic Church are making a tour
of Alaska to include all military
installations and large parishes in
a plea for family prayer for peace.
Head Chaplain
Archbishop O’Neil is the head of
all military chaplains in the Cana
dian Forces and was flown to Alas
ka in an RCAF plane. Bishop Glee
son has visited in Seward twice
in the past year.
In Seward Archbishop O’Neil
and Bishop Gleeson will speak at
the Sacred Heart Catholic Church
and all the people of Seward are
invited whether they belong to an
other church or no church at all.
Services will begin at 8:00 p.m.
The Crusade for family prayer
was instituted by Father Patrick
Peyton, the Irish born priest who
is also the founder of The Family
Theater to which the greatest stars
in Hollywood give $2,000,000 worth
of talent each year.
Under the banner, “The Family
That Prays Together Stays To- •
gether,” the Crusade has attracted
000,000 Catholics and a large num
ber of non-Catholics to the practice
of family prayer. Its success has
brought inquiries from England,
Scotland, Ireland and France.
Find Hunters Safe
On Montague island ,
Eight hunters reported overdue
in Seward were found safe on
Montague Island after involving
boats and planes in a search since
Thursday morning. The Eagle, a
local cannery boat, picked them
up Friday morning.
According to information from
local authorities, there were two
parties of four hunters who were
marooned on the island because
of a dead battery in the plane they
were using.
Of the eight hunters in the two
parties, only four had been identi
fied by Friday afternoon. They are
Howard Smith, Gene Combs, Jerry
Martin and Dennis Thompson.
The message that they were dis
covered safe on Montague Island
was relayed to Gentry Shuster,
who was searching the area with
his plane Friday morning. The
Eagle, a 65 foot boat of the Res
urrection Bay Company, had left
on the search late Thursday night
and a Navy PBY from Kodiak was
to join the search at 8:00 in the
morning.
ACHIEVEMENT PINS AWARDED
TO 4-H CLUB MEMBERS
Achievement pins were awarded
to 4-H Club members at the
Achievement Day program at the
home of Mrs. Lillian Dangler last
Sunday evening.
First year pins were awarded to
David Rose, Helen Doshen and
Linda Norton. Others receiving
pins were Sandra Dangler, Phyllis
Dangler and Dan Rose. Special
awards of ribbons were also pre
sented to Helen Doshen, David and
Dan Rose, Linda Norton and Phyl
lis Dangler.
Mrs. B. Davis, president of the
Club Council, opened the 4-H pro
gram by asking all members to
give the 4-H pledge. Presentation
of awards was made by Miss Mar
jorie Sheridan, Home Demonstra
tion Agent from Anchorage.
At The Hotels . . .
New Seward—Wm. Akers, An
chorage; M. Hughes, Anchorage;
Wm. Harris, Juneau; Paul H. Otto,
Seattle; Mr. and Mrs. George Pen
nington, Anchorage; Mrs. Faye Ca
rothers, Anchorage.