SEWARD’S
All-cWeathec
SBAPORT
Is Alaska’s
Greatest Asset
THE ONLY NEWSPAPER IN THE WORLD THAT GIVES A HOOT ABOUT SEWARD. ALASKA
Vol. VI. No. 80
SEWARD, ALASKA, FRIDAY, APRIL 7, 1950
Price 10 Cents
Representative
To Leave Mon.!
For Cleveland
Announcement was made
Thursday of this week that the
University Fund, with a goal of
$1500, had reached $1462 in
money collected and pledges.
Later information is that three
of the city’s organizations have
subscribed enough to bring the
total well over the desired
amount.
Rev. Paul Irwin, Seward’s
representative to the Methodist
Board of Education’s meeting
in Cleveland, Ohio, plans to
leave for that city on Monday
of next week, where he will
present Seward’s case in an ef
fort to have the Port City chosen
as the location of the proposed
liberal arts college.
Much time and effort has
been expended in gathering in
formation pertinent to the sub
ject and Rev. Irwin, with the
assistance of the committee and
others, has correlated the ma
terial into an interesting and
informative series which will
surely receive its share of con
sideration by the Committee
which will deal directly and
definitely with location of the
college at the meeting.
In Appreciation
Sanatorium
Mrs. Mae Gutekunst and Miss
Ruth Murrell wish to express
their deep appreciation in behalf
of the Seward Sanatorium per
sonnel, to the Seward townspeo
ple for their immediate and un
tiring assistance in fighting the
fire at the Nurses’ Home on the
fateful evening of March 29; and
their generous and unstinted re
sponse in supplying clothing and
other needed articles to help re
place the destruction of the fire.
The prompt, courageous and
untiring efforts of the Volunteer
Firemen, the friends and rela
tives of the employees and pa
tients, and the others who re
sponded to the alarm prevented
a spread of the fire to the other
Sanatorium buildings and avert
ed what easily might have been,
a much worse catastrophe.
The ARC, the Seward Nurses
Association, the merchants, the
other organizations, and the in
dividuals who lost no time in
donating and collecting direly
needed clothing for the nurses
whose entire possessions were
destroyed, made it possible for
work in the San to go on with
little apparent interruption in
the usual service to the patients,
and did much to boost the
morale of all.
The Sanatorium personnel is'
truly and deeply grateful to
Seward for such a magnificent
response.
SAFETY SHOW IN SEWARD
NEXT WEEK
Henry A. Benson, Territorial
[Commissioner of Labor, and Ed
iGamick, Deputy Commissioner
land Director of Safety, will set
|up the safety display with which
they have been touring the rail
>elt, in Seward next week.
As part of the display, they
lave 25 reels of sound film on
fety subjects covering safe
riving, safety in the home,
first aid, safety on the job and
film on cancer.
The location of the display
/ill not be announced until
Tuesday, after the Commissioner
arrives in Seward, but it is ex
acted that the Woman’s Club
/ill hear a talk and view the
lilms in their regular meeting
In Thursday.
Seward Choral Group
Presents Handel's
Famed Oratorio
The second presentation of
The Messiah by the Seward
Choral Group was well received
Wednesday night, and is receiv
ing many compliments from
music lovers about town.
This was the second year that
this group, made up of singers
from all churches, has worked
long and hard to produce a work
of art to the people of Seward
without cost to the listeners.
Made up of 38 voices, the parts
were well balanced and under
complete control of the director,
Miss Shirley Calnan, whose sen
sitive hands brought out color
and tone with the quality of
grass rippling in a summer
breeze.
Several voices were missing
since the last performance, but
the substitutions were equal in
quality and talent. The addition
of the Roberta Smith Memorial
Organ, played by Martha Irwin,
wife of Rev. Paul Irwin, was
the perfect balance for the en
semble.
Great Interest Shown
In Cub Scouting
i
Interest in Cub Scouting in
Seward has grown recently at
a fast pace, as evidenced at last
Sunday evening’s Pack meeting
| held in the school gymnasium,
at which more than 100 people
were present, including parents
and board members.
A group of Jesse Lee Home
boys attended the Pack meeting
with Mrs. George Green, and
plans have been made for two
dens of Cub Scouts at Jesse Lee
as soon as Den Mothers can be
obtained. Another den has been
organized out the road, and
another is presently being or
ganized here in town. It is ex
pected that there will be be
tween 50 and 60 members by
the next meeting.
Theme for the past month
was “Paul Bunyon,” and the
boys attended the meeting with
various symbols of the fabulous
lumberjack, including a ’steen
feet long pair of scissors and a
monstrous fry pan.
Several new members re
ceived their registration cards
and several awards and promo
tions were made.
Theme for the coming month
is “County Fair”—make believe,
of course—to be held in the
Civic Center, which is being
donated for the occasion. The
public is invited to attend, at
a nominal charge. Definite date
of “County Fair” will be an
nounced later.
The Cubs are planning to
march in the July 4th parade
and will have a display some
where in town for the 4th cele
bration.
C. OF C. TO MEET IN
NEW COUNCIL CHAMBERS
Arrangements have been
made for future meetings of
the Seward Chamber of Com
merce to be held in the City
Council Chambers located up
stairs in the new fire hall at
318 Fourth Avenue, it was an
nounced today by Chamber of
Commerce president, W. W.
Sipprell.
All interested persons are in
vited to attend and participate
in Chamber of Commerce meet
ings.
Next meeting is scheduled for
Tuesday, April 11, at 8 p.m.
LUTHERAN SERVICES
SUNDAY EVENING
Reverand A. O. Odegaard is
expected down from Anchorage
Sunday afternoon and Easter
Services will be held Sunday
evening at 8:00 p.m. at the Sew
ard Lutheran Church.
R.C. Campaign
To Begin
Sat., April 15
Contributions have already
started to come in for the Red
Cross Campaign which will not
start officially until April 15,
as announced today by Mildred
Kirkpatrick, chairman.
It is planned to conduct a
good part of the canvass by
telephone, but there will be
some house to house as well.
People are asked to plan ahead
for their contributions. $1.00
entitles each person to a mem
bership card.
In case of fires, earthquake,
flood, or any catastrophe in
which five or more families are
affected, Red Cross Disaster
Service takes over for the dura
tion of the emergency. The fire
in the nurses home at the Sana
torium is the most recent ex
ample.
There is a vast amount of
work connected with any move
ment of this kind, requiring
instant and complete coopera
tion of several people. Volun
teers are needed in the prepara
tion of a Disaster Service Com
mittee for Seward. Anyone will
ing to serve in any capacity is
requested to call or notify Mrs.
Kirkpatrick.
Safeway Airways
Files for Exemption
Gentry W. Shuster, doing
business as Safeway Airways,
has filed application with the
Civil Aeronautics Board for a
temporary exemption order.
The application, which has 11
sections, under which one sec
tion has nine points, details
Shuster’s arguments for a Sew
ard based carrier doing business
between Seward and Anchorage
on a part time schedule, request
ing authorization to conduct not
more than 15 round trips per
month in the interest, conven
ience, and necessity of the peo
! pie of Seward.
He offers the statement that
the applicant has been based at
Seward since 1943; has served
the public consistently and fair
ly since that time; has a shop,
hangars, office and a full time
mechanic at Seward; has an of
fice and shop in Anchorage used
by him in his capacity as dis
tributor for the Territory of
Alaska for Piper and Stinson
aircraft, Edo floats, and other
merchandise; and has had a 100
per cent safety record in oper
ations.
He also points out that on
July 22, 1946 in docket 2397,
and on Sept. 15, 1947 in docket
3147, the applicant applied
to the CAB for certificates of
public convenience and neces
sity authorizing him to fly be
tween Seward and various other
Alaskan communities, not in
cluding Anchorage. No hearing
was ever granted on either dock
et mentioned, but if either appli
cation had been granted, he
would now have been authorized
to fly infrequently between Sew
ard and Anchorage under pres
ent CAB regulations.
P-TA BAKE SALE SATURDAY
The P-TA urges housewives
and others not to forget the
Bake Sale tomorrow at the Sew
ard Trading Company. The sale
starts at 10:30 with a fine selec
tion offered.
The Red Cross gave aid to 31,
000 persons in snowbound Ne
braska, South Dakota, North
Dakota and Wyoming during the
January and February blizzards. I
Health Nurse Reports |
Chickenpox
Increase in City
Mrs. Gertrude Jurgeleit, Pub
lic Health Nurse, in her monthly
report to the City Council notes
the increasing number of cases
of chickenpox among pre-school
and school children. Although
this is not considered to be one
of the more dangerous of chil
dren’s diseases, she feels that
it is neither wise nor necessary
to allow the disease to spread
uncontrolled.
Not all cases come to her at
! tention, and many times the
child is treated with home reme
dies without consultation with
a physician. A sick child may
be coming down with chicken
pox, or it might be something
more serious.
The Nurse feels that chicken
pox should be more or less iso
lated, the same as any other con
tagious disease for the protec
tion of other children. If mothers
do not voluntarily keep children
away from others during the
time of infection, it should be
done by quarantine. She has
found children in school, in the
movies and in the stores who
should have been confined to
their homes in order to prevent
the spread of contagion.
Swallows Come Back
Via SS Baranof
Mrs. Luella James returned
by plane Wednesday afternoon
after an extended visit Outside.
Mr. Ray James arrived on the
SS Baranof after a stop-over in
Juneau. Glad to have you back,
Mr. and Mrs. James.
Mr. and Mrs. Leon Urbach
stemmed off the Baranoff look
ing nale and hearty after months
of California “sunshine.” They
have been traveling throughout
the Pacific states and have lots
to tell about conditions. Mr.
Urbach is a keen observer of
public opinion and his analysis
of conditions Stateside will be
eagerly awaited in Seward.
Miss Marjory Bogard arrived
last week, not by ship but by'
plane, to visit her parents, Mr.
and Mrs. Troy Bogard for a
month. Miss Bogard is working i
in Kotzebue for Archie Fergu-!
son, and returns to Seward for
the first time in three years.
She has brought many pic
tures of the community and sur
rounding country, which shy
says is very beautiful, especially
the summers. Kotzebue is on the
regular tourist route and many
interesting visitors stop there.
Miss Bogard will be the guest
of the Seward Woman’s Club
Thursday, April 13.
FAREWELL PARTY FOR
MR. AND MRS. PAUL LEE
Mr. and Mrs. Paul Lee and
son, Curtis, were the guests of
honor at a surprise party given
last Saturday night at the Bill
Younkers’ home. Miss Lucille
Stephan was one of the hostess
es. The Lees were very surprised
to enter the Younker residence
and find a crowd of their closest
friends present for a spaghetti
dinner.
After dinner games were en
joyed by all—laughter was the
key note of the evening. Decor
ations included pussy willows
and jonquils, with a corsage for
the guest of honor, and varied
colored balloons stuck onto the
ceiling with appropriate mes
sages such as “Bon Voyage,”
“Goodbye,” “Good Luck,” etc.
on them.
The Paul Lees are leaving on
the Baranof for Seattle and plan |
to make their home in Idaho or1
Montana. Seward will miss them,
very much.
Coroner’s Jury
Verdict In
Baehm Death
The verdict of the Coroner’s
Jury at the inquest held Thurs
day, April 6, over the death of
Fannie M. Baehm is as follows:
“We, the jury duly empaneled
and sworn in the above entitled
matter, in accordance with the
evidence offered and from in
spection of the body do find as
follows:
“That the name of the de
ceased person is Fannie M.
Baehm, that she came to her
death on the 5th day of April,
1950 between the hours of 8
p.m. and 9 p.m. at the Van Gild
er Hotel, by means of a bullet
presumably fired from a .22
calibre revolver in the hands of
Joe Baehm, her husband.”
Confesses Shooting
Joe Baehm confessed to the
shooting of his wife, Fannie
Minette Baehm, nee Parkin, at
about 9:00 o’clock Wednesday
night in Room 12 of the Van
Gilder Hotel. He was taken into
custody by Police Chief Leonard
; Clark and Marshall Irwin Met
I calf, and is now lodged in the
Federal Jail in Seward.
Mrs. Baehm, who was a wait
ress in a cafe directly across
the street from the hotel, was
scheduled for. surgical treatment
at the Seward General Hospital
on Friday, and is known to
have sent $20 to her husband
in Anchorage earlier in the
week. He says that she asked
him to return home until after
the operation. He arrived by
afternoon plane on Wednesday,
and after talking to her in her
room, left the hotel. Statements
from witnesses show that she
became afraid of him as he
began drinking heavily, and that
she hid away from him in an
other room for the rest of the
day and evening.
At about 5:00 p.m., the police
were called to remove him from
a nearby bar, but as the owner
did not file complaint against
him, he was not arrested. Sever
al taxi drivers testified to hav
ing taken him to various points
about town, apparently in search
of his wife.
Around 8:00 o’clock Baehm
bought a .22 calibre revolver
from Glenn’s Second Hand
Store. The owner does not sell
ammunition, but upon request
did find two cartridges to fit the
gun. Williams testified that
Baehm did not appear to be in
toxicated at the time.
At a little after 8:00 o’clock,
a friend of Mrs. Baehm told her
she thought Joe was in jail as
she had seen Patrolman Ander
son take him away in the after
noon. Shot started with Mrs.
Baehm to the lobby with the in
tention of telephoning the Po
lice Department to find out if
he had been arrested and was in
jail. According to Mrs. Harris,
they had started down the stairs
when Joe called to them from
the top. He told Fannie that he
wanted to speak with her in pri
vate, so she went back to room
12 with him.
It was shortly after this that
persons in the lobby heard a
shot, and upon rushing up to the
room, L. F. Fink, and a Mr. Nel
son found Baehm kneeling near
his wife, who appeared to be
asleep in the rocking chair with
her head resting on the back.
Baehm rushed past them, ac
cording to testimony, ran from
the hotel and down the street
shouting, “Get a doctor, some
body get a doctor.” After run
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