Territorial Library
SEWARD’S
All-cWeatkec
SEAPORT
Is Alaska’s
Greatest Asset
Seward Seaport Record
THE ONLY NEWSPAPER IN THE WORLD THAT GIVES A HOOT ABOUT SEWARD. ALASKA
Vol. VI, No. 88
SEWARD, ALASKA, FRIDAY, MAY 5, 1950
Price 10 Cents
First Annual Alaska Terr. Elks
Assoc. Convention Underway!
“Tiny” McNamara, president
of the Washington State Elks As-!
sociation, arrived in Seward
Thursday, as special guest of the
First Annual Alaska Territorial
Elks Association Convention
which opened here at 2 p.m. on
May 4.
Eddie Alexander, chairman of
the Grand Lodge Activities Com
mittee, is expected to arrive
some time Saturday.
Arriving by special train
Wednesday night, the 78 officers
and delegates, Anchorage 45.
Fairbanks 18, Kodiak 12, Cor
dova 3, were registered at the
Seward Elks Club and assigned
lodgings. As many more are
known to be coming in on the
Friday boat train.
The Territorial Association
was known as the West Alaska
Conference until the convention
held last year in Cleveland, O.
At that time, the Grand Lodge
gave its approval of an Alaska
Territorial Association, which is
not under the jurisdiction of any
stateside district, but is now an
independent association under
the Grand Lodge.
Association officers are Eu
gene C. Smith, president; R. T.
Thayer, vice-president: E. G.
Barber, secretary-treasurer; Max
LeLande, W. L. Lhamon, and
Louis Odsather. trustees.
The five Alaska lodges are
represented at this first annual
convention by the Exalted Ruler
of each lodge, as well as the
elected delegates. The Exalted
Rulers are:
Herb Hanson, Cordova Lodge
No. 1483; Dan Lhamon, Fair
banks Lodge No. 1551: Fred Ax
ford, Anchorage Lodge No. 1351:
Gene Marlar, Kodiak Lodge No.
1772; and Walter Sipprell, Sew
ard Lodge No. 1773.
While Friday is given over
to committee meetings, the Sat
urday meeting will be open to
all Elks.
Visiting ladies and some dele
gates made a motor tour to
Moose Pass and Lawing Thurs
day afternoon, and attended the
Junior Class play at the high
school last night. The tea sched
uled for Friday afternoon aboard
the SS Baranof will be held at
3:15 Saturday afternoon, the
Baranof having been delayed in
reaching Seward. Elks will have
a real shrimp feed tonight and
probably some crab meat will
find its way into the dinner, be
cause the Cordova delegation
brought a load of crabs with
them.
On Saturday night the 110
Seward Elks and their ladies
will entertain the convention at
the Anniversary Ball to be held
in the Civic Center.
Three Fairbanks businessmen,
George Gilbertson of the Pioneer
Hotel, Bill Lavery of Alaska j
Jewelers, and Larry Meath of]
the Fairbanks Cigar Store, flew j
down from Fairbanks Thursday
in Mr. Gilbertson’s Stinson to at-:
tend the convention here. It
was the first flight to Seward for
Mr. Gilbertson but they encoun
tered no difficulties and had a
good trip down.
Some of-the visitors are see
ing Seward for the first time.
Many others have been here be
fore. All agree that for hospi
tality, Seward is a wide open
town with friendly people.
21-Ton Diesel Arrives
For City Electric
The new 21-ton Fairbanks
Morse diesel power engine was
unloaded from the SS Susitna
today, placed aboard a flat car
for delivery to the power plant
of the Seward Electric System.
The purchase of the engine
was authorized by a vote of the
people last year under the rev
enue bonds issue for its pur
chase and for the retirement of
an old RFC debt on the original
equipment.
The capacity of the new en
gine is 375 k.w.’s which will
double the output of power since
the original plant was installed.
A concrete block for the
mounting of the engine was
poured a week ago. As soon as
it has cured, the new engine will
be mounted under direction of
Mr. Mull, a representative of the
Fairbanks-Morse Company, who
will put the plant into full oper
ation before it is turned over to
the city for operation.
Trout Fishing Season
Opens June 5th
Fishing season is at hand.
Here’s the law:
Rainbow, steelhead, cutthroat,
eastern brook, and Dolly Varden
trout, Mackinaw or lake trout
and grayling may be taken in
upper Kenai River and all lakes
and tributaries from June 5 to
September 30. provided that
Dolly Varden trout and lake
trout may be taken at any time.
At the outlet of Skilak Lake and
in lower Kenai River to Moose
River the above named fish
may be taken from July 15 to
August 15 and in the rest of
the Territory there is no closed
season.
The limits for the Kenai River
and all lakes and tributaries
thereof are 10 fishes singly or in
the aggregate, but not to exceed
10 pounds and 1 fish daily, 2
daily bag limits in possession.
The limits on the rest of the
Territory are 20 fishes singly or
in the aggregate, but not to
exceed 15 pounds and 1 fish
daily, 2 daily bag limits in pos
session. There is no limit on
Dolly Varden trout in salt water
throughout the Territory.
So sayeth the 1949-50 regu
lations of the Fish and Wildlife
Service.
Lutheran Church Has
Long History
The Lutheran Church which
is to be dedicated Sunday by of
ficials of the Pacific District
Evangelical Lutheran Church,
has a history as old as Seward.
Mr. and Mrs. John Rosness
settled in Seward in 1905, at
which time they were the only
Lutherans, and had no place of
worship. They are the oldest
members, both in point of resi
dence and time of the present
church.
In 1917, there was a group of
12 to 15 Lutherans in this area,
among whom were Mrs. Johanna
Horton and the Tom Osbo family.
At that time this small group
(Turn to Page 2)
Harbor Dredging
Scheduled For
This Summer
Mayor Eugene N. Lanier was
advised this week that the
dredging contract for the Sew
ard Small Boat Harbor has been
awarded to Munter & Co. of Se
attle.
No exact date was given as to
when the work will begin ex
cept that the dredgers will be-'
gin work in Southeastern and
work north. It is expected to
take “about three and a half
months’’ to reach Seward.
Local fishermen are not too
well pleased at the delay, which
will put the dredging into the
height of the fishing season. It
is acknowledged, however, that
nothing can be done about it, as
all other harbors will be faced
with the same disruption of
moorings and it seems to be a
matter of luck as to who was to
get it first.
At the hearing April 28, by
the U.S. District Engineer under
the Army Corps of Engineers,
the fact came out for the first
time that only part of the harbor
is slated for dredging at this
time. It comes under a main
tenance clause providing for re
dredging of the old project. Sur
prise was expressed by towns
men that the contract covers
only a little over half of the
area in the shelter harbor.
A number of petitions and
recommendations submitted at
the hearing stressed the need of
an extension of the breakwater,
especially on the north side, in
order to insure safe harbor in
heavy winds.
When questioned as to the ap
proximate number of small
boats that can be expected to
shelter in the harbor over win
ter, if the project is approved,
the concensus of local opinion,
as expressed by D. C. Brownell,
was that at least 50 boats would
winter here the first year after
the shelter is made safe, but
that in two years after that time,
the number would more than
double.
It is well known that a num
ber of boat owners have ex
pressed the desire to winter in
Seward with their families, to
take adventage of the school fa
cilities for their children. But
heavy seas and high winds pre
clude the possibilities of safety,
and only a better breakwater
can give the shelter necessary to
smaller boats.
This was only a hearing, and
the engineers could give no in
dication of the action that may
be taken regarding the recom
mendations of the meeting. It
was considered encouraging,
however, when Corps of Engin
eers representative in charge
remarked that this had been a
well informed and highly satis
factory meeting.
WANTED:
Anyone who has taken a First
Aid course, and who holds a
standard and advanced certifi
cate, whether it’s out of date or
not, is requested to contact Mrs.
Kirkpatrick, or leave word at
the newspaper office.
Mr. and Mrs. Elwyn Swet
mann are aboard the SS Baran
of arriving in Seward tonight.
Mr. Swetmann, president of the
Bank of Seward, and Mrs. Swet
mann have been Outside for the
winter.
Kenai Scenic Bus Line Plans
Regular Service To Kenai
Boy Scouts Busy On
City Clean-Up
At almost any hour after
school and in several parts of
town, it is a common sight this
week to see a bunch of Boy
Scouts working like beavers,
raking up and loading trash
and winter debris into waiting
trucks.
Some parents have marvelled
at the sheer speed of these hard
working fellows on other peo
j pie’s lots when their own back
j door yards could stand some of
the same treatment. However, il
was always a real job to clean
up your own yard, when “the
guys” were having such a good
time cleaning the other fellow’s.
At any rate, there is a marked
! improvement in the down town
1 section since last Saturday. This
i Saturday should see the contin
, nation of the clean-up, when the
1 Scouts get into the alleys.
Sewardites are asked not to
forget that if the clean-up job
looks too big in their own yards,
the Scouts are ready to do it for
them. Anything you think the
job is worth is to be put into the
treasury for baseball and ath
letic equipment, and to help'the
kids on their uniforms.
IF. W. S. Makes Appeal
To Sportsmen
Make sure you know what
you are shooting at before you
pull the trigger: don't fire at
animals half a mile away; don't
wound game and then abandon
its trail, leaving it to suffer and
die tortuously; —these are re
quests from Carlos Carson of
the Fish and Wildlife Service.
A few bear, both brown and
blacks, have already been seen
out of hibernation on the Kenai
Peninsula and hunters are get
ting ready for them. Mr. Carson
mentioned that although there
are no restrictions on bear kill
ing in this area except the limit
of two a year on brown bear,
it was decided at the meeting
of the Fish and Wildlife men in
February to send out a letter
i appealing to sportsmen to re
frain from shooting mother
bears with young cubs.
A true sportsman, according
to Mr. Carson, is a humane and
careful hunter who does not
wantonly slaughter game nor
carelessly endanger the lives of
other people.
4th of July Picnic To
Be Held In Town
The picnic at Bear Lake last
year on the day before the 4th
of July was such a success that
the Izaak Walton League of
Seward will handle the affair |
again this year for the Fourth
of July Committee. It will be j
known as the Izaak Walton
League Picnic.
Instead of going out of town,
the picnic grounds will be at
First Lake in Seward. First
Lake, better known as the Swim-!
ming Hole, is on the Park Re
serve back of First Avenue, and
of easy access to everybody,
without the need of cars and
(Turn to Page 2)
Ihe Kenai Scenic Bus Lines
announces a regular schedule of
service to Kenai and points
north to begin May 23, accord
ing to Carl Gage, operator, this
week.
Four trips weekly, offering
passengers and shopping service,
will inaugurate the first all-pen
insula passenger transportation
service to Kenai and Homer. Be
cause of the construction on the
Sterling Highway, the Homer
end of the run will be delayed
until after July.
Two new Pony Cruiser Grey
hound type buses are ready to
start the service. These buses are
the newest type road buses, re
clining seats, air conditioned, 17
and 2G passenger vehicles, giving
complete riding comfort during
the long trip.
By next year, the company ex
pects to add two more carriers to
the fleet and maintain a daily
service between Seward and
Homer, with one bus based at
Homer.
With the opening of the An
chorage-Seward Highway, the
Kenai Scenic Bus Lines will
schedule a regular service to
Anchorage in conjunction with
the Matanuska Valley Lines.
This is not an amalgamation of
lines, but by agreement, the two
lines, starting from opposite
ends of the run will meet at a
halfway point and exchange pas
sengers.
Special Tourist Attractions
Aside from the regular pas
senger service, Gage has ar
ranged four sightseeing tours
out of Seward for the benefit of
round-trip passengers of Alaska
Steamship Company. Tour No. 1
is the shortest, covering local
points of interest and as far as
Bear Lake on the highway.
No. 2 tour includes Moose
Pass and Lawing, with a stop
over at Alaska Nellie's museum.
No. 3 tour will go as far as
Cooper landing and Henton’s
Lodge, which includes the finest
scenery on the Peninsula.
The No. 4 tour will be to
Kenai and return. On a clear
day, Mt. Iliamna and Mt. Re
doubt are plainly visible across
Cook Inlet from the highway,
and this section of the tour, be
ing through 25 miles of the
Moose Reserve will afford a few
thrills to the touring photogra
phers.
Mr. Gage will run two special
buses during the 4th of July
celebration, giving the Peninsula
residents the opportunity to
share the exciting Mt. Marathon
race and enjoy the Izaak Walton
League picnic in Seward.
At the present time, Mr. Gage
runs the school bus to Mile 8
and maintains a regular schedule
to the Sanatorium of eight trips
daily.
REPRESENTATIVE HERE FROM
INTERNAL REVENUE OFFICE
Persons with questions about
income tax matters can contact
Mr. George Hedla, deputy col
lector of the Internal Revenue
Bureau, who arrived in Seward
May 2nd and is staying until the
10th. He is occupying the office
next to the U. S-. Commissioner
on the second floor of the Fed
eral Building.
Seward’s
First
Annual
Bowled Dinner Dance
(NOT FORMAL)
Legion Club
May 10
8 P. M.