I errilonal Library
4-50
SEWARD’S
Alt-cW©atkec
SEAPORT
Is Alaska a
Greatest Asset
ecor
Vol. VI. No. 26
SEWARD, ALASKA. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 1949
Price 10 Cents
Books Audited
For New City
Administration
A special audit of the^ city's books
is being completed by the Seward
accounting firm of O. M. Beaver
so that after Tuesday's election the
new administration will have a
clear picture of the city's financial
condition.
Heretofore the annual audit has
been made in April, because that
was the time when officials were
elected for the new term. The Leg
islature, however, declared a state
of emergency and kept all city of
ficials in office until the October
election.
For the first time in many years,
Mayor Eugene Lanier said Thurs
day, the city is definitely out of
the red and there is money in the
treasury. Not only is there money
on hand to meet all current obli
gations. but there is a fund of over
$17,000 set aside to meet future
bond payments.
Departmental Accounts
In making the special audit, the
accounting firm has made several
suggestions which the council is
adopting. The most important sug
gestion is that of making separate
accounts for each of the city's de
partments, such as streets, police,
fire department, etc.
This system of departmental ac
counts will make it possible to see
at a glance not only how much of
that department's budget has been
used, but also how much remains
for future spending. Department
heads will find it much easier to
plan their year's activities.
Requisitions
A second innovation is that of
demanding formal requisitions from
department heads when purchases
are required. The requisitions will
come in printed forms to be filled
in by the department head and
signed. All purchases will be made
on numbered and registered pur
chase orders which must be signed.
All requisitions and purchase or
ders will be on file, so that they
may be referred to at any time.
Even requisitions which are not
approved will be kept on file.
MAYOR IN ANCHORAGE ON
AIRPORT BUSINESS
Mayor Eugene N. Lanier went to
Anchorage Friday morning to con
fer with officials concerning the
Seward Municipal Airport. He had
been trying to make the trip for
more than a month, but each time
he was ready to leave either city
business interfered or the weather
was poor for flying.
The city was granted $30,000 re
cently by the Federal Government
to improve the local airport and
the Territory is adding 25 per cent
to bring the total to $37,500. Dur
ing the summer the city also re
ceived a grant of $18,000 for' a
mooring float in the small boat
harbor, and the float is now in
use. A sum of $50,000 was also set
aside to dredge the small boat har
bor. The silt dredged out will be
used to cover the city dump. »
Out of the $70 million author
ized for public works in Alaska,
the city of Seward hopes to re
ceive $300,000 for renovation and
extension of its sewage disposal
system and for paving the streets.
Huge Volume Of Mail
Handled By Local
Post Office Clerks
The volume of mail handled by
the Seward Post Office has been
increasing by leaps and bounds
until now an average of about
225.000 pounds of mail is handled
here each week.
While Seward is a relatively
small city, about fourth largest in
the Territory, its position as “Gate
way to the Interior” throws a
heavy load on the local post office.
Except for air mail, all the mail
coming into the interior moves
through Seward as well as that
going to the Westward and Aleu
tian Islands by mailboat.
The Alaska Steamship Company
has the contract to carry mail and
this week there were three ships
here bringing a total of 197,701
pounds of mail. Every bag has to
be weighed, and postal clerk Carl
Sparks spends a major part of his
time putting mailbags on the scale.
Mail traffic here is pretty much
of a one way deal, since the in
coming mail this week amounted
to 197,701 pounds and the outgoing
mail amounted to only 31,230
pounds. This is accounted for by
the fact that a great deal of buy
ing in Alaska is done by mail.
Because of the mail order busi
ness the post office money order
volume is also very high, although
postal officials will not divulge
the amount.
ATEC Manager Here
To Assume Duties
Lester L. Glascoe, general man
ager of Alaska Telephone Engin
eering Company, arrived in Seward
last week with his wife and little
daughter to take over his duties.
ATEC purchased the holdings of
the former Seward Light & Power
Co., and are making progress in
revising and enlarging the tele
phone system. Repair and replace
ment of sections of the pipe line
in Lowell Canyon is being pushed
to get ahead of the cold weather,
and it is expected that a new
building to house the telephone
exchange will be erected in the
near future.
Shipping News . . .
The Palisano, which called at
Seward to discharge cattle and
goats for points in the interior, has
gone to Whittier and Kodiak and
will return in about 10 days to
take on a quarter* of a million
pounds of frozen halibut from the
Seward Fish and Cold Storage Co.
Alaska Steamship Company an
nounced the sailing of three
freighters from Seattle to take
place as follows: The Coastal
Rambler Sept. 26. The Coastal
Monarch Sept. 30 and the Diamond
Cement Oct. 5. All three will come
direct to Seward.
The Coastwise Line ship The
James Lick is due at Seward the
first of next week.
REGISTRATIONS EXPECTED
TO HIT 600
A count of the registrations at
1:00 p.m. Friday showed a total of
579 names. This is an increase of
247 since the special election on
Sept. 8th.
Registrations were continuing
steadily and it looked as though
they would reach the 600 mark be
fore the books close.
Sourdough Bill
Says 'Goodbye’
To Local Scene
A host of well-wishers were pres
ent at the dock when the SS Aleu
tian sailed Friday with one of Alas
ka's most colorful figures aboard.
It was "Sourdough" Bill Patterson,
who came to Alaska in the year
1900 and since 1918 operated the
Sourdoug^i Express in Seward.
Patterson, who recently sold his
express business to George Werner,
is known the country over by the
name of "Sourdough Bill.” For the
many years that he has handled
tourists' luggage on the dock he
usually has been the first person
they met in Seward.
Born in San Francisco in 1882.
Patterson came to the canneries at
Kenai in 1900 and in tlie next few
years worked in the camps of
Kenai, Sunrise, Ophir, and Valdez.
At one time he also operated the
Sourdough Taxi in Seward, and
when President Harding visited
here in the early twenties, he rode
in tlie Sourdough Taxi.
For all the years he has spent in
Alaska, Patterson has little to say
about his experiences. A very talk
ative person ordinarily, he tightens
up when he becomes the subject
of conversation. “You wouldn't
care to hear about my experiences
in the kind of language I'd use,"
he says.
While he has no definite plans
for the future, Patterson says he
will visit his old friend, Pete Ogle,
in Puyallup, Washington. He lived
for thirty years with Ogle above
Ogle's Garage, now occupied by
Hamilton's Garage.
Palace Cafe Closed;
Jenkins' Go Outside
Mr. and Mr. Joe Jenkins, who
have operated the Palace Cafe
here for the past 15 months, closed
up shop last Saturday and departed
for northern California.
Joe Jenkins said that he had
been putting in long hours for the
past several years and that he was
greatly in need of a good rest.
While he was operating the Cafe,
he was usually up at 4:30 a.m. and
seldom got to bed till late.
While he would not say he had
any definite plans, Jenkins inti
mated that he would like to re
turn to Seward after he has had
a good vacation. In his younger
days Jenkins was a professional
boxer and rose as high as welter
weight challenger.
Since Jenkins left there is no
one operating the Palace Cafe, al
though the owner, Leo M. Douglas,
reports that a number of out of
town restaurant operators are in
terested in the cafe.
ACS OFFICE ANNOUNCES
NEW SCHEDULE OCT. 1
The Seward office of the Alaska
Communications System stated
that effective October 1 a new
schedule for office hours will start.
After that date the hours will
be from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m.
For holidays the schedule shows
the office open for one hour in
the morning between 9 and 10,
and one hour in the afternoon be
tween 4 and 5 o'clock.
The Democratic Club of Seward
urges every qualified voter to
VOTE in the Municipal Election
TUESDAY, OCT. 4th.
—adv.
Taxpayers To Vote
On Land Exchange
Ordinance Tuesday
Almost overlooked in the other
issues of Tuesday’s election is the
special Ordinance 198.
Stated simply, the city and Her
man Leirer of the Seward Dairy
want to establish a right-of-way for
a road through Leirer’s property.
The city has a strip of land 40 feel
wide and 810 feet long on the side
of the mountain (theoretically 1st
Avenue) where it is too difficult to I
build a street.
In exchange for the 810 feet, Mr.
Leirer is willing to give 1654 feet
so that he will have a road through
his own land from the lagoon road
to his house.
Even though city officials and
Leirer are agreed on the necessity
of the transaction, it must have
the approval of the voters, since
it involves city property and fe- ]
plotting of city streets in the neigh
borhood. Voters not familiar with |
the street layout in the Bay view ;
Section are asked to drive out and
make an inspection.
Destruction Of Signs
Brings Heavy Fines
Ward Showalter, Jr., of Seward,
was fined $200 and given a 90-day
suspended sentence in the Kenai
Commissioner’s Court Wednesday
on the charge of discharging fire
arms and thereby injuring a high
way sign or marker established
by the Highway Commission in
the vicinity of the Kenai Road
Commission Camp on the Kenai
Road.
Showalter was arrested by Pa
trolman George Puckett and was
tried the same day, with a plea
of guilty.
It was pointed out by Patrolman
Puckett that shooting at go\em
inent owned highway signs can be
penalized as much as $1,000.00 and
up to one year in jail.
People are urged to refrain from
using the highway signs for tar
gets, for their own good and for
the protection of others whose
lives may be endangered by the
loss of warning signs.
ANCHORAGE REPUBLICANS
POSTPONE VISIT
Elmer Rasmussen. Bank of Alas
ka president and Third Division
choice for office of Republican Na
tional Committeeman, was to have
been in Seward this week end. He
was to have "been accompanied by
G. A. Engebreth. president of the
Anchorage Republican Club, both
to have been guests of the local
Republican Club on Friday night.
Their visit has been postponed
for two weeks according to a tele
phone communication Wednesday.
The regular meeting of the' clui
will be held as planned in the
Marathon Cafe at 8:00 p.m.
Ship 250,000
Lbs. Fish From
Seward Plant
For the third time this season an
ocean going ship will berth at the
Seward Fish and Cold Storage
dock to take on a quarter million
pounds of frozen halibut, when the
Palisano returns from Kodiak next
week.
This is the first season in prob
ably twenty years that deep sea
vessels have tied up at the cold
storage dock to load fish, and this
was only possible because the city
purchased the plant from the War
Assets Administration so that the
nation could have the benefit of
the fine halibut banks located just
a few miles from Seward.
With the completion of the new
mooring float in the small boat
harbor and the renovation of the
cold storage facilities, Seward now
has a real part in the great fishing
industry of Alaska.
the Seward Fish and Cold Stor
age Company is operated by a
partnership of four men, Reilly,
Burns, Wilmans and Pege, under a
lease from the city.
Since the halibut season began,
the huge frozen fish have been
piled high like cordwood in the
huge holding rooms while awaiting
shipment. The large shipment go
ing out next week will be the last
of the halibut for this season.
Besides halibut, the cold storage
plant handles black cod and sal
mon, and it is the belief of the
partners that there is enough good
bottom fishing in these wate'rs to
provide a year-round industry in
the area. Recent surveys of the
Fish and Wildlife Service tend to
bear out their contention.
DOYLE WINS JUDGMENT
AGAINST CHUCK'S GRILL
To satisfy a District Court judg
ment against Chuck Barret in favor
of Joe Doyle, an auction of about
60 items of dishes and utensils
will be held on Oct. 8. The judg
ment, including court costs and
expenses, amounted to $118. The
posted notice of the auction says
the sale will take place at the
east entrance of the Brown and
Hawkins warehouse in the alley
between Third and Fourth Avs.
MRS. JEFFERY AND CHILDREN
RETURN ON THE DENALI
Mrs. Ann Jeffery, wife of Jack
Jeffery, returned on the Denali
last Tuesday with the children.
They have been vacationing in
San Francisco most of the summer.
They missed our earthquake by be
ing aboard ship.
17.7V. Sta# Helps Victims of Earthquake
' ”!"«r<rr¥-T!W»^^5S5?:S'‘??5v-W5 •<>•.< •• : . yi:"
As soon as news of the earthquake which destroyed several
towns in Ecuador reached United Nations Headquarters, members
of U.N.’s international staff began a collection to help the victims
of the disaster. Here, U.N. Secretary-General Trygve Lie, presents
a check for $2000 to Guy V. Partridge, of the American Fed
Cress, as part of the U.N.’s Secretariat aid to the stricken country.