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Seward Seaport Record
THE ONLY NEWSPAPER IN THE WORLD THAT GIVES A HOOT ABOUT SEWARD. ALASKA
Vol. VI, No. 34
SEWARD, ALASKA, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 28, 1949
Price 10 Cents
Flood Waters
At Snow River
Now Receding
Flood waters are reporting to
be receding swiftly in the vicinity
of Mile 17 and 18 where the Snow
River overflowed its banks and
made the highway impassible for
several days.
Reports were current for some
days that both the railroad and
highway bridges were washed out.
Rail traffic was not interrupted at
any time, however, and the Bureau
of Public Roads reported that it
had been able to get trucks thru
in an emergency on the highway.
Drivers of passenger cars were
warned by Highway Patrolman
George Puckett Thursday that they
could not get through. On Friday,
however, it was believed that even
passenger cars could get through.
While the flood was at its peak
the railroad kept a crew on hand
with a crane to remove floating
logs and debris from the bridge.
Observers reported that musk
rats and rabbits were driven from
the wide river bottoms in great
numbers and that people could
approach close enough to touch
them.
me snow mver goes on such
rampages from time to time, since
a large lake forms at the foot of
Snow Glacier. As the water in the
lake increases, the pressure and
overflow cause it to break through
the walls of ice, flooding the
valley.
Three years ago the highway
bridge w’as washed out. A tempo
rary bridge is in place now and
will be replaced by a $104,000 per
manent structure next spring.
CATHOLICS PLAN FOR
NEW CHURCH HERE
A committee of men of the Sa
cred Heart Catholic Church in
Seward met Tuesday evening at
the home of H. A. Werner to make
arrangements to raise funds to re
pair the church building.
At the suggestion of The Rev.
Martin Borbeck, S.J., the group
decided that when presently need
ed repairs are finished a campaign
will be initiated to raise funds for
a larger church.
JR. WOMEN S CLUB HAS
HALLOWE'EN PARTY
The Junior Women’s Club held a
Hallowe'en party Tuesday evening
in the parlor of the Methodist
Church. The party was masquerade
and included four negroes (one a
sailor); two bathing beauties. Miss
Fortune and Miss Take; one ear-y
witch and one Chinaman.
Mrs. Meryl Starr won first prize;
Mrs. A1 Noyes and Mrs. Frank
Mitchell tied for second.
A wild twenty minute scavenger
hunt was won by Mrs. Richard
Beissner’s group and the team
headed by Mrs. Glenn Tressler.
After the hunt everybody dunked
for apples, ate candy and pop corn
and chewed gum.
Impersonations of famous people
were followed by ghost stories.
Surprise of the evening was the
hidden wire recorder under Mrs.
Beissner’s chair. She played back
several of the impersonations and
some of the stories.
After a hilarious evening re
freshments were served by the
hostesses, Mrs. Carl Ling and Mrs.
Clyde Gordon. The cedar chest
tickets were passed around to
members for selling at one dollar
each.
Territorial Health
Officers Confer With
City Council
Dr. Robert L. Smith, Assistant
Commissioner of Health, and Miss
Florence Binsley, District Nursing
Supervisor, both from Anchorage
Branch Office of the Territorial
Department of Health, were in
Seward Thursday on an inspection
trip. They met with Mayor Lanier
and the City Council in the eve
ning to discuss financial arrange
ments and quarters for the Public
Health Nurse.
Mrs. LaPreal Bie, who has car
ried on the work here for the
past several years, has resigned as
of December 3. Her replacement
has not been assigned, and will
not be assigned until Jan. 1, 1950.
Experienced Public Health Nurses
are still at a premium, according
to Miss Binsley, and it will be two
months before one can be appointed
here.
The Council plans to install a
Public Health office on the second
floor of the new fire hall, which
is promised by the contractor for
Jan. 1. By this arrangement the
appointment and quarters will co
incide and we will begin the new
year with an entire new setup.
Congressmen To Be
Guests At Luncheon
The Seward Chamber of Com
merce is sponsoring a luncheon to
honor the members of the Con
gressional Committee on Merchant
Marine and Fisheries next Tuesday.
The luncheon will take place at
the recently reopened Palace Cafe
and all interested persons are urged
to attend. Information from Wash
ington, D. C., reveals that the com
mittee will be interested in prob
lems relating to Fisheries and Ma
rine Transportation.
Esslinger-Ronne
Church Wedding
Mabel Esslinger and Richard R.
Ronne were united in marriage by
Rev. Paul Erwin at a double ring
ceremony Saturday evening, Oct.
22, at the Methodist Church. Mrs.
Erwin played the wedding music.
The couple was attended by the
bride’s sister, Lillian Ives, as ma
tron of honor, and the grooms
brother, Marshall G. Ronne as best
man.
The bride wore a forrest green
suit touched with gold and brown
accessories. Her corsage was of
Talisman roses. Mrs. Ives wore a
grey wool street dress and hat with
black accessories, a corsage of pink
carnations complimented the en
semble.
.After the wedding a reception was
given at the home of Mrs. Jenny
Sather. Wedding cake and coffee
were served.
Later the bridal party enjoyed
dinner at Vjf and Sis’s.
Mrs. Ronne is the daughter of
John H. Sheward, an old time
resident of Seward who is now
living at his new home in San
Diego.
Mr. Ronne is the son of Mr. and
Mrs. George E. Ronne of Sheldon,
Wisconsin. The groom's parents
visited with Marshall Ronne and
wife for a few months last summer.
Mr. and Mrs. Richard Ronne are
planning on making their home
at Mile 7.
H. H. (Tex) George was in town
for two hours Monday while his
ship was loading. During that time
he rushed about by taxi trying to
greet a few of his many friends.
Great Hazards,
Little Gold At
Fishwheel Site
A news release from B. D.
Stewart, Commissioner of Mines
in Juneau, received by the Record
yesterday expresses grave con
cern over the unjustified excite
ment that is being manifested in
Alaska as well as in the States as
a result of recent dramatically ex
pressed newspaper reports of the
discovery of a very small amount
of placer gold on the shore of an
island in the Yukon River in the
vicinity of Fort Yukon and over
the growing proportions af the
influx into that remote locality at
this time of year of inexperienced,
poorly equipped and poorly advised
gold seekers.
Very significantly and wisely the
well informed and experienced
placer miners of the Territory are
refraining from joining the unfor
tunate stampede that has been ini
tiated at Fairbanks during the past
week and all others will be well
advised to follow their example,
Mr. Stewart declared, and thereby
save themselves from what to the
initiated appears to be inevitable
disappointment, financial loss and
possible disaster.
The physical hazards of encoun
tering the extreme sub zero tem
peratures which are almost certain
to obtain during the remainder of
the season in the remote and un
populated Fort Yukon region are
very great and should not be
risked by the stranger to the
country, Mr. Stewart said. The
futility of attempting to sink by
hand prospect holes in the deep,
water filled alluvium adjacent to
the channel of a river the size of
the Yukon was also stressed by
Mr. Stewart.
The discovery by the owner of
a fish wheel of a nugget of gold
the size of a pea imbedded in mud
attached to the wheel when it was
being dismantled for the winter
and the subsequent discovery on
the surface of a very small amount
of additional grains or flakes of
gold in the vicinity may be ac
cepted as authentic as reported
by newspaper correspondents and
others, but the natural occurrence
of gold in the form of even small
nuggets or grains of appreciable
size at or very near the surface of
a stream channel that flows, as
do the numerous channels of the
Yukon at the locality in question,
over a bed of very deep alluvium
requires to be stablished and ex
plained before the discovery may
be reasonably accepted as a valid
indication that a gold deposit of
any importance has been found. In
such a setting, placer gold even in
small grains is to be found at or
near bedrock beneath the over
burden of muck, silt and gravel
and not at the surface, Mr. Stew
(Turn to Page 4)
ST. PETER'S MEN TAKE OVER
KITCHEN FOR THE DAY
The men of St. Peter's Church
will give a repeat performance of
their annual dinner, Sunday,' Nov.
6. in the parish hall of the church.
Last year’s spaghetti dinner was
so successful that the men have
decided to extend their talents to
cover a full baked ham with trim
mings menu this time. It will be
handled entirely by the men. Their
ladies will remain at home until
time to be served, which is the
best break for the wives during
the year.
Bill Pege Sights
School Of Tuna
In Gulf Of Alaska
Wm. (Bill) Pege of the Seward
Fish and Cold Storage Company
left for Seattle last Thursday on
the mailboat Garland. Word comes
back that he sighted large schools
of tuna, covering an area of two
square miles, in the Gulf of Alaska
off Cape St. Elias.
Tuna in any quantity have never
been sighted so far north and in
order to assist local fishermen in
locating the school Pege gives the
location of the area:
Roughly half way across the
Gulf about 220 miles southwest of
Seward in a line with Cape Spencer.
59.17 degrees north latitude, 142.54
west longitude, 47 miles 200 de
grees true from Cape Yakataga.
Water depth 1420 fathoms.
The Fish and Wildlife Service
vessel Oregon made a search this
year for tuna in northern waters,
and reported a few in the Walker
Seamount area, 300 miles west of
Baranof Island, but found none
north of that point.
New Postmaster To
Take Over Monday
Monday, October 31, will be the
last day for Charles A. Sheldon
as postmaster at Seward, after 25
years of service in that capacity.
In the year 1924 Sheldon was
appointed to the position and has
held the job continuously, regard
less of changes in Administration
in Washington. Under his super
vision the local office has grown
from a tiny office with only one
clerk to the present large size
operation as terminal for the Aleu
tian Islands, the Kenai Peninsula,
and the interior of Alaska.
A veteran, Clarence T. Larsen,
whose appointment was announced
last week, will succeed Sheldon
as postmaster. Sheldon expects to
retire. He will live at his home
near Seattle.
Vets Should Check
School Plans With VA
Veterans planning to go to school
under the G. I. Bill, with certifi
cates of eligibility issued before
November 1, 1949, are advised by
the Veterans Administration to
make certain the school is per
mitted by law to offer training to
veterans at government expense.
The law does not allow veterans
to take G. I. Bill courses in schools
j which have not been in operation
' on their own for at least one year,
or in schools not having approval
| of an appropriate State Approving
Agency.
Certificates are valid, the VA
explained, only in those education
al institutions or training estab
lishments where G. I. Bill training
is permitted by law. A veteran may
check the status of the school he
wishes to attend by calling at, or
writing to, his VA office.
Veterans who apply for certifi
cates of eligibility after Nov. 1
need not check the status of their
school. All certificates issued after
that date will contain the name of
the course and school, and will be
good only for the designated
course and school.
Although the VA is issuing new
type certificates after Nov. 1, it
will continue to honor all certifi
cates which veterans obtained be
fore that date.
W. W. Sipprell, general agent
for the Alaska Steamship Company
in Seward, was reported to be in
Anchorage Friday on business.
Phone, Power
Improvements
Made By ATEC
Installation of a much larger pipe
line carrying water from the moun
tain to the hydroelectric generators
at the Alaska Telephone Engineer
ing Corporation and purchase of a
better switchboard for the tele
phone exchange were announced
Friday afternoon by L. L. Glascoe,
general manager for ATEC.
The pipeline has been increased
to a 24 inch diameter and will add
greatly to the amount of water
available at the genertors. The re
sult will be that the company will
have to depend less on diesel
power for generating current and
a saving in fuel oil and other oper
ating costs.
While construction of the dial
exchange is to go forward in the
spring, as a temporary measure
ATEC has purchased a used switch
board from the city of Anchorage
so that satisfactory service may be
given in the interim.
A newspaper article to the effect
that ATEC was so anxious that
it offered to dismount and crate
the switchboard was received here
i with no little amusement, officials
said. They stated that the reason
they wanted to handle removal
and transportation of the equip
ment was to prevent damage to it.
; NOV. 15 DEADLINE FOR
BURYING OIL TANKS
A house to house check on oil
storage tanks is being made By
Fire Chief Fred Kielcheski, and
where methods of storage are con
trary to the special ordinance on
oil storage passed last summer,
notices are being given to have
necessary changes made by Nov.
15. After that date the city will
take action.
All oil storage tanks in the busi
ness district between Railroad Ave.
and Jefferson St. and between
the alleys of Third and Fourth
Avenues and Fifth and Sixth Ave
nues must be buried. Elsewhere
in the city tanks must be 10 feet
from the building.
real estate records
KEEP COMMISSIONER BUSY
Acting Commissioner Anna B.
Southard reports that the local
office has been busier the past
few weeks than at any time in the
past couple of years.
Most of the work, though, is re
cording transactions in real prop
erty and in searching records.
Much of tire present activity in
j real estate is centered between the
! city limits and Mile 7 on the high
! way.
! .There have been very few court
j cases recently and only minor
cases. Several marriage licenses
have been issued lately. '
HINIE WERNERS GOING ON
STATESIDE TRIP
Mr. and Mrs. H. A. Werner are
expecting to leave next Wednes
day on a business trip to the state
of Washington. It will be strictly
a business trip, Werner said, but
they will make a side trip to see
their daughter, Mrs. John L. Dow
ney, at Sacramento, California.
If possible, they will fly to Kan
sas City, Missouri, to see another
daughter, Mrs. Milton H. Luce.
The Werners will travel by plane
and have their car shipped by
steamship.
Don’t forget the MASQUERADE DANCE
9:00 P.M., Sat., Oct. 29 - - Civic Center
PROCEEDS TO GO FOR A BANG-UP CHRISTMAS PARTY FOR SEWARD'S KIDDIES - Sponsored by "Red" Stolp