SEWARD’S
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Vol. VI. No. 51
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4-5i
SEWARD, ALASKA, TUESDAY, DEC. 27, 1940
“Gabe” Celebrates 67th
Birthday Dec. 26th
Gabriel Santos, better known
as “Gabe,” celebrated his 67tii
birthday Monday, Dec. 26th.
He was born at Port Zugore,
fifty miles from Bahia, Brazil.
He left home at the age of 12
on a sailing boat and for many
years was a sailor. He was in
Africa during the Boer War
and in Scotland when Queen
Victoria died. He came to Skag
wav, Alaska, in 1 DOG and from
there traveled to Whitehorse
and Dawson in the Yukon Ter
ritory. After further service as
a sailor on various ships, he
came to Seward in 1908 and
has lived here ever since.
Gabe has had many exper
iences which are very interest
ing to hear. He remarked that
when he first arrived in Seward
ptarmigan could be shot with a
pistol in what is now the busi
ness district. He worked in the
land office four years, cooked
for a surveying party in Anchor
age. worked in Hickey's Mine at
Moose Pass in 1911. He also
longshored, worked on the rail- ’
road, operated a restaurant and!
cooked for various people.
Since 1941 he has been in
business in his present location
at Mile 2. He has watched the
people come and go and made
many friends. Some of the kids
he used to pack around are
still coming to see* him. bring
ing their own offspring.
Monday night he had open
house for his friends and his
place of business was packed
with people from 5 p.m. on into,
the night. He had a beautifully,
decorated birthday cake and;
there was a table laden with
cards and gifts.
Gabe has a sweet and simple
philosophy of liking and be
lieving in people and folks who
go out there to eat his steaks,
chicken, sour dough hot cakes,
etc., don't go just for the food
alone but because they like the
kind of person he is.
'Round V 'Bout Town . . .
—The Roving Reporter—
The children of Seward were
guests of many parties this
Christmas — the churches,
schools, Pat Friede's, “Red”
Stolp's, and many others. There
were many open houses, break
fasts, dinners and parties for
the grown-ups, too, but would
" ~liE5T to telf you of another
Christmas story that came to
our attention.
The Seward Elk s Lodge, No.
1773, while planning their an
nual party for those most de
serving, found a great need at
the Seward Sanatorium and set
up funds and are playing Santa
every day of the year. They
matched the money in their
charity box with an equal
amount from their lodge funds,
to be used by the social welfare
worker there, for needy causes
and needy persons. She has
access to the funds so that the
patients will have stationery,
stamps, reading material, house
robes, slippers, etc.
The Lodge is also augment
ing the Sanatorium’s library by
a book drive. Anyone who
would like to donate good read
able books should take them
either to the San or to the Elk’s
Club and they will see the pa
tients get them.
Many complimentary remarks
were made about the Christmas
play staged at the school last
Friday evening.
Shirley Calnan directed the
musical portion of the program
and deserves a lot of credit for
the effort she put into it.
A choir of over 200 grade
school pupils all dressed in
white accompanied the “Nati
vity” which depicts the tradi
tional story of the birth of
Christ.
Jane McMullen is also to be
complimented for her direction
of the tableaux and Flavia Han
sen for the costuming.
After the entertainment,
Santa Claus appeared in the
auditorium to distribute candy,
nuts and fruit to all the children
who were there, and to the little
ones at home. This treat was
provided through the Parent
Teachers Association, with the
cooperation of other Seward
organizations.
*
It’s a post-Christmas party for
Junior Women’s Club, Dec. 27.
Dec. 30th the Baranof will i
sail for the States carrying
many of our Sewardites. This
seaworthy ship has safely car
ried so many Seward people
that the people here like to
think of it as the Seward ship.
Mr. and Mrs. Leon Urbach, j
Mr. and Mrs. Eiwyn Swetmann,
Hedley Davis, and Mr. and Mrs.
Walter Sipprell are planning to
leave on it. We all hope they
have grand vacations and want
them to hurry back.
Mr. Sipprell says there is to
be an agent's meeting in Seattle.
Jan. 9th, and many of the agents!
such as II. E. Green from Ju
neau, Dave Ramsey from Sitka,
Mr. Duryea and Mr. Lockwood
from Ketchikan, and Mr. Ma
loney from Anchorage, are also
leaving on the Baranof Dec. 30.
Many of the wives will accom
pany the agents. Mr. and Mrs.
Sipprell expect to be home!
again about the 19th of January.!
* I
Some of us were out with our
cameras Saturday afternoon as
Santa rode thru the streets on
his dog sled. What a beautiful
Christmas scene it made—his
red sled, 5 husky dogs laboring
1 against the wind, the gift filled
sled anci Santa in his red suit.
His whiskers were blowing
every which way and his cheery
voice called out Merry Christ
mas to all.
He left gifts with the children
at Pat Friede's party, the Jesse
Lee Home and the Sanatorium.
* 'M
"Herring Pete” got back from
a trip to Norway a few weeks
ago. Was seen in town looking
the same as ever, greeting his
friends up and down Fourth
Ave.
The oldtimers who predicted
when we saw the sun-dog in the
noon sky last Friday, that we
would have a change of weather
—probably rain or snow—were
right in that it would be a
change. The only difference was
that it brought colder weather
and a big wind! We all shivered
and literally shook in the 37
mile zero wind Christmas Day.
On Monday night the tempera
ture went to 2 below zero, but
without any wind. Cars and
plumbing froze up before we
noticed it. This is the coldest
weather we’ve had this year. So,
no more sun-dogs, we hope!
Local Youths Heavily
Fined For Pre
Christmas Escapade
Two eighteen year old local
boys received fines totalling
$500 and the driver’s license
of one was revoked for one year,
in Commissioner’s Court Satur
day, Dec. 24.
The boys were arrested by
Officer Anderson and Marshall
Metcalf Friday night when they
ran into the Community Christ
mas tree at the intersection of
Fourth and Adams Streets. For
ty feet of colored lights became
entangled with the car and was
dragged down Fourth Ave. to
Washington and Fifth before
the officers stopped the car.
They were fined $150 each
on the count of giving liquor
to a minor, and one of the boys
was fined $200 on three other
counts, and his license revoked
for the period of one year.
Mbney collected from fines
of this sort is deposited to fund
“C”, for the maintenance and
equipment of Department of
Justice buildings.
Shipping News . . .
Seven Alaska Steamship Com
pany freighter sailings, sched
uled for the period December 3U
through January 27, were an
nounced last week by Admiral
F. A. Zeiuler, executive assist
ant to the president ot the com
pany.
This series begins with a dou
ble sailing December 3U — the
motorship Palisana. for Whittier
and Prince William Sound ports
and the motorship Square Sinnet
for the Southeastern ports oi
Ketchikan, Wrangell, Peters
burg, Juneau, Skagway and
Sitka.
Another double sailing is set
for January 6—the motorship
Terminal Knot for Valdez, Sew
ard, Seltiovia, Homer and Kodi
ak and the motorship Lucidor
for Whittier and Kodiak.
An unnamed freighter is set
lor January 2U, calling at Yaku
tat, Valdez and Seward and an
other unnamed freighter, Janu
ary 27 for Ketchikan, Wrangell,
Petersburg, Juneau, Pelican and
Sitka.
In addition to these sailings
there is a regular Alaska Line
combination freight and passen
ger vessel departure scheduled
for Southwestern Alaska each
Saturday at 11 a m.
The Coastwise Line's freighter
SS King S. Woolsey, is scheduled
to leave Portland December 31
and from Seattle on January 5.
The Coastwise ship SS James W.
Cannon is scheduled to leave
Long Beach Jan. 6; San Fran
cisco, Jan. 9; Portland, Jan. 14,
and from Seattle Jan. 19. Both
Coastwise ships will- sail direct
from Seattle to Seward.
TOO COLD FOR SANTA
Santa Claus had a real work
out Christmas Eve when he took
a ride through town in Ralph
Hatch's sleigh, pulled by a five
dog team. Tipped over once, he
climbed back in the sleigh and
started to Pat's Garage where
he met the town children with
bags of treats, but before the
procession arrived at the garage
Santa transferred to an auto
mobile.
It was a real sight to most
of the people of Seward to see
a dog team on the street and
the parade of cars loaded with
kids trying to catch a glimpse
of Santa in the sleigh interfered
at times with the running of the
team.
Town dogs, friendly and
otherwise, but all curious, also
ran interference with old St.
Nick. i
He arrived on time, though,
and everybody left happy and
loaded with candy, nuts and
fruit.
$20 Million In Housing
Insured By F.H.A.
More than 820,000,000 worth
of privately financed housing
in Alaska, comprising nearly
1500 units, has been insured or
committed by the Federal Hous
ing Administration in the past
four months, Governor Ernest
Gruening announced this week.
The governor in releasing the
summary prepared by Clinton
C. Staples, territorial director
of the Federal Housing Admin
istration, .pointed to this accom
plishment as demonstrating con
clusively that private investors
have faith in Alaska and its
future.
In addition to the housing in
vestment covered by the FHA
summary, it was learned that
more than 4,500 units to be oc
cupied by military families and
Alaska Railroad employes arc
well advanced in the planning
stage and should be under com
mitment early in 1950 for con
struction next summer. These
units also will be built with pri
vate capital under mortgages
insured under terms of the
Wherry Act. All of the projects
included in the $20,000,000
total are insured under Title
008 of the Federal Housing Act.
Those already insured, all at
Anchorage, are the Turnagain
$2,988,600: and Richardson
Arms Project, 67 units, $661.
000; Panoramic View, 264 units.
Vista, 418 units, $4,751,800.
Committed by the FHA are
eight additional 608 projects
as follows: Cushman Apart
ments, Fairbanks, 61 units,
; $718,000: Hillside Manor, An
chorage, 48 units, $528,700
[ K n i k Arms, Anchorage, 59
j units, $637,200: Olson Apart
1 ments, Anchorage, 34 units,
j $367,200; Fourth and Franklin,
Juneau, 132 units, $1,553,900;
Abel Apartments, Anchorage,
38 units, $410,400; Ferris Apart
ments, Ketchikan, 108 units,
81,230,500; and McKinley Man
or, Fairbanks, 210 units, $1,494,
800. Application has been re
ceived for the Brinck Project
at Ketchikan. There 30 units
would be built at a cost of $260,
000. Besides all of this multiple
unit housing started on its way
to completion during the past
four months, the FIIA in Alaska
made 82,178,500 in commit
ments during 1949 under Title
II Section 203. These include
138 proposed and 61 existing
family dwelling units.
The governor in announcing
the housing progress paid high
tribute to Mr. Staples and his
associates in FHA for their en
ergetic work in assisting private
investors in the housing field
in Alaska. "With this auspicious
start,” the governor said, "the
housing problem in Alaska,
which has been one of our most
serious handicaps to progress,
is well on its way toward solu
tion. It is encouraging to note
that it is being solved by in
vestment of private money on
the part of far seeing individuals
and companies who have faith
in Alaska and its future.
"This should be a cheering
New Year's item lor the people
of Alaska,” the governor added.
It was pointed out by the gover
nor that private construction
covered by the FHA report is
in addition to the Alaska Hous
ing Authority program, for
which ten million dollars was
recently appropriated by Con
gress. The Housing Authority
j is now completing arrangements
i for full scale activity during
the 1950 building season. Par
ticipation in the National Hous
ing Act is likewise available to
i Alaska.
RED'S CHRISTMAS'PARTY
! "Red'’ Stolp gave the town
i kids a real, bang-up Christmas
j party on Friday afternoon at
the Oddfellow’s Hall, beginning
J after school at 3:30 and running
for two hours. Everything to
J delight a child from the age ol'
I one year to one hundred was to
! be had at Red's party,
j Not content with treating
i Seward children, Red also took
parties to the children at the
Seward Sanatorium and to the
'■ Jesse Lee Home. She made sure
! that no one was missed. If the
kids couldn’t come to her party,
the party went to them.
M,iss Stolp raised the money
for her Kids' Christmas by giv
^ ing a big dance in the Civic
Center on Hallowe'en, which
was well attended, and at which
, everybody had a good time.
DIOGENES SHOULD COME
TO SEWARD
The ancient Greek philoso
pher who walked the streets of
Athens with a lantern in search
of an honest man so many years
ago, .would be most agreeably
surprised could he appear in
Seward.
In these days after Christmas
spending, a local man found a
sum of money. He could easily
have put it in .his pocket and
kept his mouth shut about, it,
but he did not. Instead, this
honest man came into the news
paper office to advertise for
the owner. Before press time
the probable owner was located.
Diogenes, modern man must
be more honest than in your
time. *
COMPENSATION INCREASES
TO BE MAILED JAN. 1ST
*
Increases in disability and
death compensation for veterans
and their dependents, voted by
the 81st Congress, in most cases
will be received in checks issued
for the month of December, ac
cording to the Veterans Admin
istration. Checks will be mailed
the first of January.
Following is a brief summary
of the changes in disability and
death compensation payments
resulting from new legislation:
Largest group to get increases
is composed of veterans with
service - connected disabilities
rated from 10 per cent to 100
per cent in degree, including
the service-disabled of World
Wars I and II and veterans dis
abled as the result of peacetime
service subsequent to Jiily 15,
lf)03. Average increase is 8.7
per cent.
Widows receiving compensa
tion because of the service-con
nected death of a veteran, and
who have one or more children,
also will get increases.
Dependency allowances, pre
viously allowed only for veter
ans drawing compensation for
service - connected disabilities
rated 60 per cent or more, have
now been extended under the
new law to those veterans rated
50 to 60 per cent disabled.
New legislation also grants
an increase in disability com
pensation payable to World War
I veterans whose disabilities
are classified under law as “pre
sumed” to be due to service.
These veterans formerly were
entitled to only 75 per cent of
(Turn to Page 4)
Plan To Attend The Firemen’s New Year’s Dance