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HOMER NEWS
HOMES * ALASKA'
3, No. 46
Your Dependable Community Newspaper
April 28, 1955
Alaska Historical Library
Box 2051
J*uneaut
Word tras received by the NEWS after vo had our
paper set up but not printed, that Joe Alonzo died
in Providence hospital at 8:30 Thursday morning.
PUD MEETING
Two committees of local residents
were appointed Monday night by the di
rectors of the PUD to assist them with
board problems. The first committee
will study the possibility of combining
the jobs of the PUD manager and the
dock manager-, This board will consist
of Elmer Priest, Don Smith and Margaret
Anderson and they were asked to make a
report at the next board meeting if
possible.,
The second committee was appointed
to make recommendations as to a hospit
al policy, work on an agreement with
the doctor on the operation of the hos
pital and to recommend operational pol
® icies of the hospital. The committee
chairman will be Carl Baier, with Mrs*
Harry Peyer, Mrs. Jim Scott, Rev, Nel
son Moyer and Howard Myhill as members. ,
•Concerning the matter of the dock,
the directors accepted the resignation
of dock manager Hugh Watson as of May 1
and voted that Ralph Patterson be asked
to take the job on a temporary basis
until a study reveals whether or not
the job should be mreged with that of
the PUD manager*
In the discussion concerning the
hospital the directors heard the tenta
tive agreement that had been reached
between Dr. Provonsha and the previous
board* Comments from those citizens in
attendance at the meeting indicated
that many felt that the doctor should
be asked to bear some of the financial
costs of operating the hospital*
The board passed a mption requesting
that a letter be written to the FUD at
torney seeking an opinion on the pay
ment due the PUD from last summer’s
quiet title suit on the hospital prop
erty* The money is owed the FUD by
Harry Gregoire* Mrs* Gregoire, #io was
present at the meeting, stated that the
matter of payment is being settled by
the attorneys of Gregoire and Mrs* May
belle Bunnell who originally owned the
land*
.President Johnson volunteered to
draw up plans and specifications for
a hoist to be installed at the dock to
be presented at the next meeting*
* Considerable discussion was held as
to #iether bids should be called for
the water and sewage disposal system
for the hospital* The president ques
tioned whether or not funds would be
available to pay for the job* Other
board members felt that a call for bids
would allow them to know just how much
the job would cost and then they would
be able to discuss finances. A vote on
the motion to call for bids during the
month of May finally passed.
A statement from Rutledge, Johnson
and Tryck, Anchorage engineering firm,
was ordered paid. The statement was
for $946*30 and covered charges for
work on the hospital site*
A letter from the Bureau of Land
Management‘informed the board that the
PUD had been granted -a land use permit
to a small piece of property on Beluga
Lake to be used as a recreational site.
The permit is ' subject to several re
strictions primarily concerned with no
boating on the lake* ‘
(Cont. on Page Col.l) »
\ * '> ’
f * ' *
TEACHER LIST .
Merrill Hatcher, principal , of the
Homer Territorial School announced this
^eek that the following teachers have
been assigned to the school for next
year, by the certification officer of
the department of education#,
Mr# and Mrs# Merrill Hatcher, Mrs.*
Gay Adams, Mrs#- Esther .anderson, Made
lene Bassett, Theo Edwards, Robert Saf
ley, Ralph Coles, Horard McCallister,
Clarence Bakk, and Richard'Tyler#
The list represents a gain of one
teacher for the school for next year#
At the present time Coles is a mem
ber of the English staff of the Univer
sity of Washington, McCallister is at
Alitak? Eakk is teaching at Pedro Eay
and Tyler is at Nikolski. Tyler is
listed as an art teacher#
Tho three teachers on the present
staff yho are not listed are Dave
Schroor, Stove Harcharik and John Spen
cer#
WEATHER
April 21 38
April 22 36
April 23 31
April 24 ■> 35
April 25 * 43
April 26 r 45'
April 27 46
High
Lot:
28
26
26
25
21
23
21
CHAMBER NOTES
Four guests uere present Monday for
‘the Chamber of Coirmerce'nEetihg. JThey
included Jim Wilson, commissioner of
agriculture, Dr* Fred Honsinger, terri
torial veterinarian, Keith Herrick,
business manager of.the United Associa
tion of Journeymen and Apprentices of
the Plumbing and Pipe Fitting Industry,
and Eileen Day, local realtor*
Tuo of the guests, Jim Wilson and.
Keith Herrick, spoke briefly. Wilson
said that he and Dr, Honsinger rere in
Homer to check local livestock for dis
ease, Herrick stated that he T?as here
on business for his union in connection
crith the forthcoming construction per
iod.
The president announce a vim; wne
directors will start at their next
meeting to discuss the financial policy
of the Chamber and a membership drive*
Local businessmen Trill be asked to
state their vieus of those subjects, he
said*
Don Smith gave a brief report on the
Semrd trip giving a brief resume of
the talks given by the speakers pres
ent*
a letter from Col* Farrell of the
District Engineers ms read stating
thet & representative from his office
Trould bo in Homer in the near future to
consider the problem of erosion on the
Homer Spit. He said that under certain
conditions erosion on local beaches nas
the responsibility of the Corps of En
gineers, however, it ms generally con
sidered a local problem*
It ms noted that contractors Tdio
hope to 7©rk on the bhlson Mountain
project have been in torn and are con
sidering unloading at least their heavy
(Cont* on Page 4, Co^* 2)
The condition of Joe Alonzo, n&A
. lineman rrho ras electrocuted Sunday
f 'fternoon, remains ’’very critical" ac
cording to*'doctors at Providence hospi
tal in Anchorage* Since his arrival at
the hospital Sunday night, Alonzo has
had his right arm amputated at the
shoulder and his right leg amputated at
mid-thigh in addition to being given
numerous transfusions•>
The accident occured Sunday night
about 54 SO as Alonzo was working alone
oh a pole and apparently took hold of
a hot wire, carrying 7200 volte of elec
tricity* He had been making the final
tie-ins on a line that was being re
paired after the high tides had Trashed
out four poles running across the mouth
of Beluga Slough.
Three non, Jiggs Tico, HEA manager;;
Steve Smas, HEa line foreman, and
Dwayne Bolmp,. lineman, rare at the
base of tho pole when the accident hap
pened. Tice raced to the plant to cut
the power from the line. As soon aa
the power was off Sinas wont up the polo
and administered artificial respiration
to the unconscious man and he was revi
ved before he was lowered to the ground
From the scene of the accident he
was rushed to the airport where .Bob Id
lund took him to the, Seldovia hospital
in the CAP plane. At Seldovia emergen
• cy shock treatment was administered and
the doctor recommended that he be taken
to Anchorage at once. The plane re
turned to Homer, was refueled and flown
to Anchorage by John IQ,ingbiel.
Alonzo, 33, is an experienced line
man 'and had been employed by the HEA an
last summer’s line work to Clam Guloh*
* He* had been Outside during the winter
and had been back on the job only two
days Then the aoeident happened, ac
cording to Tice. His parents, who live
at Hamilton, l^ontana, were notified of
the accident by Mrs. Pat Oliver, sister
of Jiggs Tice, who,lives near them, and
the father is now in Anchorage with his
son.
The line trouble leading up to the
accident started at about 2 a.m. Satur
day morning when the high tide washed
out four poles across the mouth of the
Slough and the HEAr crews'" had been
working hard to replaoe them and to get
the lines ’ in operation. The line in
volved served the»CAA,,the Spit and the
homestead area by the airport.
It was expected that a representat
ive of the insurance company urould be
in Homer this week to investigate the
accident.
NEW CAFE
Mrs. Lydia Shelford announced this
week that r.he expects to open a seafood
restaurant on the Spit about May 1*%
The restaruant wiy. be located in the
former Hugh TVatson residence which :Ls
now located about half way out on the
Spit and across from the Watson ware
house •
The restaurant will be called ’'The
Sea Shell," she said, and will feature
shrimp, crab, halibut and salmon. The
ne^ establishment will seat twenty per
sons inside and tables will be placed
around the building!, j A fireplace will
also be built at* .the/side of the build
ing, she said*