SEWARD’S
All-TVeathec
SEAPORT
Is Alaska s
Greatest Asset
Seward SeaporFRecord
THE ONLY NEWSPAPER IN THE WORLD THAT GIVES A HOOT ABOUT SEWARD, ALASKA
SZtUS*** Library
3-51
Vol. VII. No. 12
SEWARD. ALASKA. FRIDAY, AUGUST 11, 1950
Price 10 cents
Old Fashioned
Fair At Homer
Sept. 14-16
The Kachemak Bay Farmers
Association of Homer will spon
sor a real, old-fashioned fair
September 14, 15 and 16.
In a letter from D. H. Lam
bert, chairman of the Fair Board
the Association invites all com
munities of Western Alaska and
especially Kenai Peninsula, to
participate in this celebration.
To insure a success of this pro
ject, it is necessary to request
interested communities and busi
nesses to take part in the fair.
Donations o f merchandise
prizes will be given at the Fair,
and the business houses making
the donations will be given ad
vertising during the three days
of the Fair.
The Fair Board will publish
a Fair Booklet carrying the com
plete program for the three days
and stories of the Kenai Penin
sula. Rates for advertising in
this booklet are as follows: Full
page, 4l2 x 10 inches, S8.00;
half page, 4V2 x 5 inches, $4.00;
and quarter page, 4J/2 x 21;>,
$2.00.
For additional information,
write or contact the Kachemak
Bay Farmers Association, Homer,
Alaska.
It is to the interest of all com
munities on Kenai Peninsula to i
cooperate in any project to build I
up interest in Peninsula affairs, I
and to confine as much business ]
as possible to the Peninsula. It
is hoped that many Sewardites!
will plan to attend the fair at i
Homer.
Insurance Privileges
For Servicemen
Draftees. National Guardsmen
and reservists who go into ac
tive military service may apply
to the Veterans Administration
for protection of their commer
cial life insurance policies dur
ing the time they are in uniform.
This privilege, the VA an
nounced, is offered to service
men and women under terms of
the Soldiers and Sailors Civil
Relief Act, which gives the VA
authority to guarantee premi
ums on commercial life insur
ance policies. Face value of the
policy or policies guaranteed for
each serviceman is limited to
$10,000.
The VA said premiums paid
by the VA for the insured under
the act wall remain as an in
debtedness against the individ
ual and must be repaid after
his return to civilian life.
National Service Life Insur
ance, administered by the VA,
is another insurance benefit
available to all servicemen and
to all World War II veterans
•who can meet the health re
quirements, the VA said. Serv
icemen who have allowed their
old NSLI policies to lapse may
apply for reinstatement or take
out new? NSLI policies.
The minimum NSLI policy
that can be taken out initially
is $1000, and the maximum is
$10,000. Policies are available
in any one of seven forms, the
most inexpensive being so-called
term insurance.
Mr. and Mrs. Jerry Protzman
left Whittier Tuesday for an ex
tended visit in the States. Mrs.
Protzman is the daughter of Mr.
and Mrs. Gordon Black of Sew
ard. Jerry is the grandson of
Mr. and Mrs. Chas. Sheldon,
former Seward residents. This
is Mr. Protzman’s first trip Out
side.
Eastern Star to Honor
Official at Special
Meeting August 14
Seward Chapter, Order of1
Eastern Star will conduct a spe- j
cial meeting Monday, August 14,1
for the exemplification of the |
degrees and to honor the Most
Worthy Grand Matron, Mrs.
Abbie Hanson.
A banquet honoring Mrs. Han
son is planned for 7:00 p.m. on
Wednesday, August 16. in the
Episcopal parish hall. The ban
quet is for all members of East
ern Star and the Masonic Lodge.
The banquet will be followed
by a program in the Masonic
Hall at 9 o'clock the same eve
ning.
ALASKA STEAMSHIP CO.
CHARTERS STEAMER
TO M.S.T. SERVICE
The Alaska Steamship Com
pany is taking delivery of the
steamer Joliet Victory today in
New York City from the Federal
Maritime Board under bareboat
charter and will in turn time
charter the vessel to the Military
Sea Transportation Service, D.
E. Skinner, vice president and
general manager of the com
pany, announced in Seattle.
This is the first vessel received
by The Alaska Line for opera
tion under the increased ship
ping program of the MSTS
brought about by the Korean
situation. It was pointed out that
this assignment gives recogni
tion to the world-wide shipping I
operations of Alaska Steamship
Company during World War II
and to the fact that this com
pany is experienced, fully
equipped and ready to partici
pate in the United States defense
program.
The Joliet Victory was oper
ated by the Alaska Steamship
Company from 1944 to 1946, and
Captain Lars Erickson, master
of the vessel at the time it was
returned to the government in
July 1946, has been reassigned
to her. He flew to New York to
recommission the ship which has
been in lay up in the Hudson
River.
$4 Million Asked By
President for A.C.S.
The President, in sending his
message to Congress last week
asking for defense appropria
tions in excess of $10 billion,
included a request of $4,393,000
for the Alaska Communication
System.
Of that total, $3,717,000 would
go for operation, maintenance
and improvement of the system
and $676,000 for construction.
This amount is in addition to
the money sought in the general
appropriation bill which has
passed the House and is now
being considered on the Senate
side. The regular 1951 fiscal
year money bill now includes
S3 million for ACS operation
and $2,877,920 for construction
as recommended by the Senate
Appropriations Committee a s
compared with the House allow
ance of $3 million for operation
and $1 million for construction.
Should the Senate committee
recommendation prevail through
Senate passage, this particular
item will have to go to confer
ence between the two houses.
MRS. JEAN RAYMOND
IN HOSPITAL
Fred Henton made a rush
trip in from Henton’s Lodge
Thursday to bring Mrs. Jean
Raymond to Seward General
Hospital.
Mrs. Raymond, who is the
cook at the lodge, was suffering
from an acute attack of asthma.
She was resting comfortably to
day.
CofC Receives
Letter From
Gen. Kepner
The following letter was re
ceived this week by W. W. Sip
prell, president of the Seward
Chamber of Commerce:
“Seward Chamber of Commerce
Seward, Alaska
“This will acknowledge re
ceipt of your letter of July 28,
195U concerning the continued
use of the Portage-Seward sec
tion of the Alaska Railroad.
“I have been informed that
an agreement recently has been
concluded in Washington be
tween the Department of the In
terior and the Department of
Defense. This agreement, sub
ject to the availability of funds,
will permit operations to be car
ried on over this portion of the
railroad at least until December
31, 1952. While I am unable
at this time to predict the extent
of operations after that date,
I am sure that in the event of
an emergency the port and rail
terminus of Seward will again
be called upon to play a vital (
and important role in the mili-!
tary defense program of Alaska.
“Sincerely,
W. E. KEENER
Lieutenant General, USAF
Commander-in-Chief”
The statement, “availability of
funds,-’ is the only discouraging
part of the General's letter, in-!
asmuch as Congress has so far j
made no appropriation for re-1
habilitation of the Seward-Port-j
age section of the railroad, and :
if funds are not forthcoming in
the very near future there will
not be sufficient time before
freezing weather sets in to get
repair work done that is ex
tremely necessary to put the
section in condition to allow op
eration of a snow fleet this com
ing winter.
Baby Takes a Walk
Down Fourth Avenue
Little Richard, a blond who!
is two years old and lives with
his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Carl
Carlson, at Ocean View apart-,
! ments, decided last Saturday
! evening to take a walk. There
' was no one to go with him, so
he just went strolling by him
| self, lie wandered up to Jeffer
1 son Street to busy Fourth Ave
! nue, crossed the street and made
his way clown town.
Dressed in blue coveralls, un
i buttoned all the way down the
: front, happy as a lark and total
! ly unconcerned by traffic, he
had a fine time waving at all
the passing vehicles and pedes
trians, until he reached the dock
and was picked up by the police j
car and Patrolmen Green and j
Evans.
In the meantime his mother |
was hunting frantically for the!
little boy but did not contact
the police. A call was broadcast
over KIBH, and the two got
together.
Two days later Richard took
another stroll, this time to
church. He was found, again on
Fourth Avenue, at the Methodist
Church.
Manuel Quinga returned by
plane to Ellamont this morning
after an emergency appendec
tomy last week at Seward Gen
eral Hospital.
Mrs. Raymond Seferovich and
children will leave Seward next
week on the SS Aleutian for a
year’s visit Outside. Ray will
not leave until November.
Highway Patrol
Cracks Down on
Drunken Drivers
George Collins was fined $100
on each of two counts and sen-1
teneed to 30 days in jail when ;
found guilty in Commissoiner's I
Court on two charges of traffic
violation. He was also deprived ]
of the privelege of driving for
the period of one year.
Collins was charged with driv
ing a vehicle without a current
operator's license and driving
while under the influence of
intoxicating liquor.
Motorists are urged to refrain
from drinking while driving as!
they are constituting a menace j
for other drivers, according to
George Puckett, highway patrol
man in this district. I
SWIMMING and LIFE SAVING 1
LESSONS AT FIRST LAKE
Mrs. Peggy Beissner announc
ed Wednesday that she will be
at the swimming hole (First
Lake) every afternoon from 1:00
o'clock to teach life saving tac
tics to anyone who is interested.
There will be other volunteers
present to help in giving swim
ming lessons.
Jimmie Kirkpatrick will as
sist after 3:00 o'clock in the life
saving lessons. He is repairing
the raft and plans other safety
features for the lake.
Anyone who wishes to volun
teer in any part of tiiis work ;
will be most welcome.
---
IG-Day Alaskan Trip
Prize in Fishing Derby
Seattle—The growing fame of J
Alaska's sports fishing will gain j
added luster this month when
the tw?o top qualifiers in the
fourth annual San Diego, Cal.,
Yellowtail Fishing Derby collect
an angler's dream of a prize—a
10-day, all-expense fishing expe
dition into the interior of the
Territory.
Pan American World Airways
officials have announced that
the two foremost yellowtail fish
ermen in the San Diego area will
be named on August 20. Hun
dreds of contestants have been
qualifying since April 15.
The lucky No. 1 and No. 2
qualifiers will be brought to Se
attle by Western Air Lines Aug.
23. Pan American will speed
them from here to Fairbanks.
At Fairbanks, the winning
sportsmen will become the
guests of Wien-Alaska Airlines.
Wien will take them past the
Arctic Circle to Kotzebue and by
bush plane into a wilderness of
virtually unexplored lakes and
streams where they will learn
what real fishing can be, match
ing wits and strength with grey
ling, giant arctic trout, salmon
and possibly the rare shea-fish.
REGISTRANTS NOT KEEPING
DRAFT BOARDS INFORMED
John L. McCormick, Terri
torial Director of Selective
Service, announced this week
that many registrants are not
keeping their local boards in
formed of their changes of ad
dress or other changes of sta
tus which would have a bear
ing on their classification.
Some registrants are now
reporting for Pre-induction
Physical Examinations who are
married, but have failed to
notify their local board of
their marriage.
Under present regulations, a
registrant who is married can
not be inducted.
Therefore, it is very important
that all registrants keep their
local boards informed of any
changes in status, such as mar
riages, changes of address and
other changes in status, in order
that registrants may be properly
classified.
Memorial Pool
Fund Started
By Sewardites
Mr. and Mrs. C. E. Shea, par
ents of young David Shea, who
met his death at Little Ec^r
Lake Tuesday, have made the
request that no flowers be sent
for the funeral services today.
Instead, they requested that any
persons wishing to express their
sympathy, donate to the fund
that was started Tuesday night
for a memorial swimming pool
to protect other children and
David’s friends in Seward.
At the time word was re
ceived in town of the accident,
12:07, there was so much ex
citement and so many conflict
ing stories concerning the acci
dent, that it was almost impos
sible to get an exact account of
the drowning. Consequently it
was not possible to do justice to
the heroism of several persons
who assisted in the rescue at
tempt.
The correct story of the tragic
swimming party as given by
Mrs. Elsie Whitmore, and at her
request, is as follows.
Mrs. Ann Jeffrey and Mrs.
Archie Leslie with their chil
dren were at the lake and in
the water when Mrs. Whitmore
and Mrs. Doris Doyle and their
four children arrived at the
lake shortly before noon. Mrs.
L. V. Ray with her two grand
children, Patricia anti Derrick
Williams, Jerry Zentmire and
David Shea arrived while the
Whitmore and Doyle party were
changing clothes. The children
with Mrs. Ray were already
dressed for swimming when they
arrived and the boys immediate
ly left the car and entered the
water, Mrs. Ray following more
slowly. She was just into the
water when Derrick screamed
that David was going down for
the second time and could not
swim.
Mrs. Jeffrey rushed to the spot
near the middle of the small
lake where the three boys had
been playing and managed to
get a hold on the drowning boy.
He jerked away from her, how
ever, and caught hold of her
foot. She was not strong enough
to hold her own with him and
by that time Mrs. Whitmore and
Mrs. Ray had reached her and
started a desperate attempt to
swim to shore towing her with
David clinging to her foot. They
were within a few feet of safety
when the boy’s hold loosened
and he went down.
Mrs. Whitmore and Mrs. Jeff
rey began diving and searching
for the body, but the water was
so muddy and deep in spots that
Mrs. Whitmore said she was not
at any time able to reach the
bottom of the hole. Mrs. Ray
and Mrs. Doyle assisted as far
as they were able in the search,,
but when it became evident that
other help was needed, Mrs.
Jeffrey hurried the mile back
to the Bear Lake Sawmill in
her car for help. Clyde and
Norman Lovett and two other
men from the mill returned with
her and took up the search.
By that time word had been
received in town and the Fire
Department resuscitator arrived
with Gene Lanier and Mrs. Beth
Salit. The police car-ambulance
and many townspeople, especial
ly the fathers and husbands who
knew that their families were
at the picnic grounds, rushed to
the lake.
Alex Petrovich, who is a pro
fessional life guard, immediately
went into the water and was
fortunate enough to locate the
boy who had been in the water
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