SEWARD’S
All-cWeatkec
SEAPORT
Is Alaska’s
Greatest Asset
Formerly The Seward Polaris Sr Kenai Peninsula/lleutian Chain News
c
Vol. V, No. 57
SEWARD, ALASKA, TUESDAY, JAN. 18, 1949
Price 10 Cents
Bartlett Champions Local Port!
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Highway Work:
Resumes This
Month
Work on the Seward-Anchorage
highway is being resumed this
month, it was learned this week.
Eight 34-foot house trailers arrived
on the Chief Washakie, with the
tow trucks and many other ve
hicles.
It was said the trailers are for
the survey crew. Of the eight, one
is a kitchen, one is a combination
office and recreation room, and the
other six are fitted with bunks for
sleeping quarters.
Resident Engineer R. Killovich
said that some temporary buildings
are being constructed at present
and that brush clearing on the
Portage end of the road would be
gin shortly.
It is the contention of the con
tractors that brush clearing can be
more easily effected in winter, be
cause bulldozers operate better on
frozen ground than in mud. It is
easier to dispose of brush and trees
by burning when there are no
leaves. The danger of forest fires
would naturally be non-existent in
winter.
METHODISTS TO SING
ORATORIO
The first meeting of the Messhih
Choir will meet Wednesday eve
ning at 8 o’clock at the Methodist
Church.
It has been the desire of many in
the community that any person,
regardless of denomination or lack
of one, be invited to participate in
the singing of many of the fine
chorouses from Handel’s great ora
torio “The Messiah.” All those in
terested are invited to come to the
first meeting. Music has been or
dered.
Mrs. B. Davis reports that she
has seen several pairs of ptar
migan about the town of Seward.
Local residents believe the birds
have been driven down by the
snow’.
Divers Survey
Army Dock Prior
To Repairs
Renovation and repair of the
Seward Army Dock has begun this
week with the arrival of five deep
sea divers from Army headquarters
at Fort Richardson.
Officers of the Corps of En
gineers in the Alaska Command
have been here to start the ball
rolling. All piling in the structure
will be inspected with the inten
tion of replacing any showing de
fects.
The contract for reconditioning
the dock will be let to local con
tractors, it was learned this morn
ing.
This Army job, plus a quarte/
million-dollar addition to the Stan
dard Oil Company dock here, will
amount to quite a bit of dock con
struction here. It is well known
that if shipping continues to in
crease, a great deal more docking
space will be needed in Seward.
The commanding officer at the
Army dock at present is Lt. Arvid
Keidser, who has had many years
of army service throughout the
world. During the Battle of the
Bulge he was blown through a
brick wall by a German V-bomb.
FATHER TONER TO GIVE
MISSION IN SEWARD
The Rev. Martin Borbeck. S. J.,
,/js.oi’ of Sacred Heart Catholic
Church, announced today that the
mission week services beginning
January 29 jvill be conducted by
Father Toner, who has just com
pleted two very successful missions
in Fairbanks. He is in Nome at
present and will come directly to
Seward.
Father Toner was born in Minne
sota about 40 years ago. He was
educated at Gonzaga University in
Spokane, Wash., and entered the
Society of Jesus in 1930. He is well
known through the Northwest for
his mission work. His work has
also taken him to Chicago, Detroit
and the East Coast.
A new city telephone directory is
expected to be in the hands of sub
scribers by March 1.
Basketball Schedules Promise
Interesting Series of Games
By BILL KNAPP
Seward fans can see the initial
game between the All Stars and
the Ponies tonight, at the high
school gym.
There will be a preliminary game
starting at 7:30, contestants for
which had not been arranged for
at press time.
At the close of Series II of the
city league basketball, a Seward
All Star squad was selected from
players of the Seward Hardware,
the Seward Light & Power, and
the B & B Boosters teams. The
committee selecting the All Stars
found narrowing down to ten play
ers difficult because it meant elim
inating players equally as good.
The committee requests that the
selection be considered semi-final,
and that the final All Star team
of Seward be determined at the
end of Series III.
The reason for this early selec
tion of an All Star squad is that
the Seward All Stars are putting
in a bid to play the Anchorage
All Stars at the Rendezvous tour
nament; and, accordingly must
start practicing and playing to
gether.
This selection of an all star
squad will not change the pre
sent teams for Series III of the
(Turn to Page 4)
Navy Ships
To Arrive
Feb. 17
With the exact date of the ar
rival of the visiting Navy ships
known, preparations for the enter
tainment of Navy men have gone
into full swing.
In his official communication,
Captain C. L. Green, Chief of Staff
to the Commander of the First
Task Fleet, said, ‘‘Your invitation
is warmly appreciated.”
If plans work out as anticipated,
Sewardites say, Captain Green will
be just as appreciative when he
says goodbye to Seward. Seward
will show the crews of the USS
Salisbury and USS Suisun the best
time possible.
The letter said that the two ships
will arrive on the morning of
February 17, with the exact hour
to be announced later. This will
give the welcoming committee
plenty of time to prepare for an
official ceremony of welcome.
The Seward Athletic Association
plans to have the roller rink open
for the hoys. It has also suggested
that basketball games between
teams from the two ships and local
teams meet on the local floor.
mere will he a dance at the USO
the first night of their visit, and
if that pleases the boys there will
be another on the last night.
The Athletic Association also
I hopes to have a “smoker." witb
boxers from both ships meeting in
the ring here. And. of course, a
few of the local boys would like to
strut their stuff.
It is known that many other or
ganizations and business houses
are planning to give the boys a
good deal, too. It is almost inevit
able that the boys will want
their pictures taken with parkas,
and with dog sleds, if possible.
The American Legion plans to
have a feed for the boys and a
dance on one of the evenings. The
Elks Club, also, has announced
that it will have open house for
the officers of the ships, and it is
expected that other organizations
will assist the Elks in this enter
tainment.
The general idea of townspeople
is to give the Navy men a good
time they will remember and talk
about when they are far from Sew
ard and even make them want to
return to Seward.
Over Seward’s docks last, week
went new equipment for Jessen’s
Weekly newspaper in Fairbanks.
Jessen's Weekly was recently com
pletely destroyed by fire but the
paper has never suspended publi
cation. It is now being printed at
another printing plant in Fair
banks.
Mrs^Esther Opp of Anchorage is
registered at the New Seward j
Hotel. Mrs. Opp is Alaskan dealer J
for the Paravox hearing aid and
will be in Seward for the rest of
the week.
Seward Civic Bodies Invite
Interior Dept. Assistant
Arrives Wednesday
Carlton Skinner, special assist
ant to Secretary of Ihe Interior
J. A. Krug, is expected to be in
Seward Wednesday to inspect our
port facilities.
The news of his visit was con
veyed in a telegram from Terri
tqrial Representative Clarence J.
Keating Monday afternoon.
Originally Skinner’s schedule in
cluded visits to 11 Alaska ports
and cities but did not include Sew
ard. When this was made known
in Seward by the Seward Seaport
Record, a shower of telegrams
were directed to officials in Juneau
and Washington.
Telegrams were sent by many
private citizens as well as by the
Chamber of Commerce, the dock
side union, the Republican Club
and by the City of Seward.
It was felt that the port through
which most of the commercial
freight to the interior is channeled
should not be neglected in a study
of Alaska water transportation.
This is especially true since Sew
ard is probably the key seaport in
the defense of the Western Hemis
phere.
DEVELOPMENT BOARD
NEWS RELEASE
The Alaska Development Board
news release, nndei dateline of
Jan. 12, which prompted the action
is as follows:
“An independent and informal
study of the Alaska water trans
portation situation is to he made
for the guidance of the Interior
Department by Carlton Skinner,
special assistant to Secretary J. A
Krug, according to word received
in Juneau by the Alaska Develop
ment Board.
“Skinner, formerly on the staff
of the U. S. Maritime Commission,
will visit the Territory within the
next ten days. He hopes to visit
Ketchikan, Wrangell, Petersburg,
Juneau, Sitka, Haines, Cordova,
Anchorage, Whittier, Shotgun
Cove and Fairbanks.
“The Development Board, in re
sponse to a request by Skinner, as
signed its First Division member,
J. A. Talbot of Ketchikan, to ac
company the Washington official
on his Alaska travels. Talbot owns
and operates a dock at Ketchikan
and was chairman of the board of
the Alaska Transportation Com
pany, a position from which he re
cently resigned.
“Their tentative schedule-j>alled
for Skinner and Talbot to arrive in
Ketchikan January 12, Juneau Jan
uary 14, Anchorage January 18,
and Fairbanks January 20. Side
trips to the other ports and places
will be made as conditions permit.
“Skinner accompanied Secretary
Krug on his trip throughout Alas
ka in 1946. As a Naval officer dur
ing the war he commanded a de- '
stroyer in Alaskan waters.”
Bartlett's Message
The following telegram was re
ceived in Seward today from Del.
E. L. Bartlett in Washington:
“Jan. 17—Not knowing Skinner’s
present address wired him today
in care of Governor’s office as fol
lows: ‘George Lesko, president
Seward Chamber of Commerce, has
wired me asking me to contact
Secretary Krug for purpose of hav
ing you make survey to inspect
Resurrection Bay and Shotgun
Cove. Knowing you are free agent
within time limitations I am send
ing this direct to you instead of
speaking to Secretary. Lesko rep
resents moderate railroad expendi
ture between Seward . . . would
eliminate need for Shotgun Cove
improvement and says during this
so-called storm period id"al time
to disprove claims that mainten
ance from Seward is so expensive
| and in general suggests it would
he highly useful for you to visit
Seward. I agree with him one hun
dred per cent as to advisability of
going to Seward which has one of
greatest natural harbors in world
and which in my judgment has
been improperly bypassed in recent
years in consideration ol perman
ent terminal facilities. 1 do hope
you will make every possible effort
to go to Seward and talk with peo
ple there. Would appreciate this as
personal favor.’
“E. L. Bartlett."
Shipping News . . .
WHITTIER CARGO BEING
UNLOADED AT SEWARD
Both the SS John Cropper and
the Chief Washakie are expected
to leave Seward today. The John
Cropper will return to San Fran
cisco, but the Chief Washakie will
go only as far as Valdez. It will
then return to Seward to discharge
cargo that was originally to be
channeled through Whittier.
Inquiry did not reveal the reason
| for changing the schedule for the
Chief Washakie, but it is known
| that the weather in the "port of
Whittier has been making the dis
charge of cargo difficult.
Tommy Bie, local agent for the
Coastwise Line, said that it was
difficult to get longshoremen at
Whittier. The men worked 12-hour
shifts, he said, but only about
eight hours were spent unloading
cargo. The remainder of the time
was spent shoveling snow.
ALASKA DUE FRIDAY
The SS Alaska is due here Fri
day with passengers and freight
for the Railbelt. It will call at Val
dez, Cordova, Juneau and Ketchi
kan on its return trip. Both the
Abigail Adams and Coastal Mon
arch are due the end of this week
or the first of next week. The Vic
toria is also due the first of next
(Continued on page 2)
D 1 lL Ilf anchORAGE high school
DaSRetball: SEWARD HIGH SCHOOL
Adults 75c HIGH SCHOOL GYM
Friday, Jan. 20
Saturday, Jan. 21
Preliminary Starts 7:30
Students 50c