Seward Seaport Record
Formerly The Setvard Polaris ir Kenai Peninsula-Aleutian Chain Netvs
Vol. 5, No. 36
SEWARD, ALASKA, SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 1948
Price 10 Cents
Road, Rail
Work Rushed
Despite Snow
Work on the Alaska Railroad’s
road-bed between Seward and An
chorage is progressing well, with
section gangs and bridge builders
working through snow, rain and
sunshine alike.
Travelers on the run to Anchor
age have been heard to comment
that schedules are being kept
much better than usual and that j
riding comfort has improved great
ly since Col. J. P. Johnson took
over the general management of
the road.
The large camp established
south of Tunnel, from which work
men aie repairing the trestles on ;
the loop and elsewhere, shows con- 1
siderable activity.
Portage vicinity is a beehive of
activity with the Seward-Anch
orage highway project well under
way. The large road camp there
is headquarters for a fleet of
Turnapulls that are making fills
to the approach of the new road
up the edge of Turnagain Arm
to Anchorage.
The mid-week snow storm did
not delay work on the project.
GOOD WEATHER PERMITS
ROAD WORK CONTINUANCE
-Reports- received concern
ing work on the new Seward-An
ehorage Highway are very en
couraging. The clearing crews
now are out fourteen miles, and
it is hoped that all brush and trees
will be removed from the right
of-way for a distance of 30 miles
before the weather forces the
work to be discontinued.
Weather conditions in the area
have been even better than at
Seward, and it is hoped that the
work will progress for a couple
of months before it becomes neces
sary to suspend operations for the
winter.
DESERT QUEEN
IS SEWARD VISITOR
Miss Florence Hilton of Anch
orage and Elko, Nevada, arrived
in Seward last evening on the
train. Miss Hilton, famed through
out the cattle country as "the
Desert Queen" is noted as a rodeo
performer, wild horse breaker and
writler. Miss Hilton recently re
turned from Nevada where she
was called by the last illness of
her father who was one of the
biggest cattlemen in Clark county I
and builder of the first church in '
Elko.
HEAD OF BARTENDERS
HERE ON BUSINESS
John Ferko of Anchorage, busi
ness agent for the Bartenders
Union, accompanied by Mrs. Ferko,
arrived by train last night on an
official visit to the local branch
of the Anchorage body.
Larry Moore, assistant to the
general manager of the Alaska
Railroad returned to Anchorage
Thursday after completing his
work of supervising discharge of
the railroad barge.
Mr. and Mrs. Walt Sipprell left
Thursday morning by train for An-1
chorage and will drive out over
the Alaska Highway for a two
month’s vacation. Mr. Sipprell Is
local agent for the Alaska Steam
ship Company.
Streets Set Aside j
For Coasting j
By Children ;
With Friday's snowfall herald- j
ing the approach of winter City
Police ask that all children con- ,
fine their coasting activities to '
Second Street hill and Adams
Street in the neighborhood of the
Standard Oil Company.
These two areas have been des
ignated by authorities because the
traffic seems to be lighter there
than in other parts of town and
there is less likelihood of serious
accidents.
Motorists using Second and
Adams Streets are asked to be
especially watchful in these des
ignated areas, particularly after
school hours and on weekends.
Jr. Woman's Club To
Donate Toys
The Seward Junior Woman's
club held a business meeting Tues
day night in the home of Barbara
Cole, with 21 present. Hostessess
were Dorothy Lesko and Barbara
Cole.
The Children’s Home at Sitka is
asking for toys: Doris Doyle is in
charge of donations for same.
Blackboards and comic books
were particularly asked for.
Florence Wangley is still asking
for donations for the Jesse Lee
Home. Either a book or a child’s
recdrff is'to be given by each mem
ber—and please do so within the
next two weeks.
Plans are being made for the
annual drawing for the cedar
chest. Due to the strike and the
coming Christmas season it will
be sold later, perhaps February.
Donations of five dollars to the
P.-T. A. for the school Christmas
party and five dollars for a wheel
chair for a crippled boy at Sitka
school were passed upon.
Two new members were voted
into 'he club: Bessie Gooduell and
Pat Stan-. Peggy H. Whitmire is
unable to attend meetings so
Marion Mitchell was voted in as
the new treasurer.
The evening’s program wes the
preparing of the community’s
Christmas seals for mailing; they
did not get them finished so will
meet Monday night at Kathryn
Ling’s to get them done.
Next meeting is a social at the
Episcopal Church basement, Tues
day November 16th.
MRS. JOE MURKOWSKI TO
VISIT SEWARD
Mrs. Joe Murkowski of Enum
claw, Washington, will be a guest
in the home of her son. Tony Mur
kowski, for the coming week. Mrs.
Murkowski has visited Seward be
fore, and is acquainted with many
people here. A tea will be given
in ' her honor by her daughter-in
law, Mrs. Tony Murkowski.
Mrs. G. E. Knight announced
yesterday that a girl was born to
her) daughter, Mrs. Albert Gar
butt Thursday, November 4, at
4:55 p.m. Mrs. Knight said the
telegram told that the baby, Leslie
Ann, weighed seven pounds, five
ounces, and has more hair than
grandfather. Rev. G. E. Knight, the
grandfather, is at present in Seat- !
tie.
Mr. Jack Werner, who spent 12
days Outside on a business trip,
returned on Wednesday evening’s
train. Mr. Werner flew both ways
on the trip.
Mrs. Lanier I
Named Welfare
Officer Here
Mrs. Margaert Hafemeister, Dis
trict Worker for the Department of
Public Welfare in the Third Judi
cial District, announced yesterday
that Mrs. Gene Lanier has been ap
pointed the official agent for the
Department of Public Welfare in
Seward. The appointment was
made by Mrs. Hafemeister.
In the same interview, Mrs. Hafe
meister announced, that she had re
signed her position with the Pub
lic Welfare Department with the
effective date of December first.
At that time Mr. and Mrs. Hafe
meister will come to Seward to
take up their residence.
Mrs. Hafemeister will be suc
ceeded in the Anchorage office by
Miss Nun Blaha, who comes to
the Third District from the 'Wel
fare Office in Ketchikan, where
she has worked for the past two
years.
Mrs. Hafemeister's visit in Sew
ard this week was a routine visit
on Welfare Department business,
and she is returning to Anchorage
this morning.
In the interview, Mrs. Hafe
meister gave some very interest
ing figures concerning the funds
available in the Thi^d District.
The monthly Welfare budget for
this district is $1330, and at the
first of each month about three
quarters of this is earmarked for
continuing cases, leaving little for
emergencies.
This amount of money is sup
posed to cover all general welfare
work for indigent white popula
tion, board and care for children
in foster homes, and burials of
whites at a cost of $100 for each
burial.
With winter approaching, and
with the great increase in popula
tion in the past two years, it can
readily be seen that this S1330 just
can noi be stretched far enough j
to cover all such cases. There will
no doubt be some turn-downs in
some needy cases.
It will be five months before the
new biennium, April 1, at which
time, Mrs. Hafemeister sincerely
hopes, the new legislature will rec
ognize the extreme need, and the
importance of appropriating ade
quate funds to serve all cases of i
need, especially the needy chil
dren as well as the aged.
t
RIFLE CLUB TO
HAVE TRAP SHOOTING
At the regular meeting of the i
Seward Rifle and Sportmen’s club |
last Wednesday night it was made
known that trap shooting will be
an added feature to the season's
program. The range in the new'
clubhouse is about ready for use,
president Murl Trevethan said.
At one time Seward w'as famous
all over the United States for its
many crack riflemen. Quite a
number have gone to the matches
at Camp Perry.
Mr. and Mrs. Harry Hinton, par
ents of Mrs. Ray McKenzie, from
Crawfordsville, Ind., were enter
tained at a farewell dinner at
Gabe’s Friday evening. They were
to leave on this morning's train
for Anchorage and will leave there
Sunday afternoon by plane for
their Indiana home. Mr. and Mrs.
Hinton are grandparents of Miss
Carolyn Mayhan.
Security Benefits
For Employes
Of City Sought !
The city fathers are taking steps
to insure some kind of retirement
plan for city security. Since city
employes of Seward are not gov
erned bv civil service, there is no
|
possibility of a civil service pen- I
sion plan. It is believed that em-1
ployes should contribute to the |
social security fund, and some city
employes have signified willing
ness to make back payments if
that is possible. Fred Kielcheski
said tiiat unless some kind of pen
sion plan were put into effect it
would become very difficult to
keep good men employed on city
jobs.
Motorists Warned
Of Ice Danger
All motorists are warned to use
chains at all times in this weather
while driving on the highways.
The portions of the road beyond
the intersection of the Hope and
Kenai roads, as well as the stretch
between mile 10 and mile 18 need
careful driving because of the
slick greasy surface due to snow.
Highway Patrolman George Pue
ket said yesterday he has had to
pull several cars out of the ditch
so far, but none of the accidents
has resulted in injury to anyone
so far.
COLD STORAGE BOAT LOST
AT APPLEGATE ISLAND
Word was received through Mrs.
Park of the Ocean View that The
Margaret, a boat belonging to
Wallace Bailey of the La Touch
Cold Storage Plant was lost on
the rocks at Applegate Island two
weeks ago.
Bailey said the boat left Whit
tier with six passengers and was
caught in a severe storm at Pott
Wells. All six passengers escaped
injury when the boat went on the
rocks, but the boat was a total
loss, and $1,500 worth of cargo
were lost with it. The next day,
when the owner returned to the
scene, not even a rib of the boat
was left at the spot. Only a part
of the engine was found.
At the Hotels . . .
THE NEW SEWARD
Mrs. Wm. Stewart, Mrs. Win J.
Wagner, Mr. and Mrs. Karl Strand,
Mr. and Mrs. John Ferko, all of
Anchorage. Dr. U. M. Chalmers of
Juneau; Leo P. McCanna, Kenai.
THE VAN GILDER
Matt B. Thielen, Portage; Harold
Parks. George E. Jackson, Loren
E. Trettenik, Whittier; Wm. Fair
man Mile 44; H. J. Graham, Seat
tle; Clyde E. Maglaughlin, M. Loh
man, Homer Russel, H. V. Davis,
Anchorage; M. P. Hartwell, East
Anchorage; M. Stewart, Moose
Pass; Hal Waugh, Nenana; Walter
Simon, Fairbanks; Louis Cosen
tino, Seward; W. E. Burns, Sitka.
Leo H. Davis of Anchorage.
MRS. REED RETURNS
FROM MONTANA VISIT
Mrs. Lois Reed has just returned j
from Missoula, Montana where she i
has been visiting her father, Mr.
H. V. Wellington, who has been
ill for some time. Mrs. Reed said
the weather was wonderfully
warm and sunny for most of her
visit, but then it rained as she
has never seen it rain in Seward.
It rained so hard, in fact, that she
became homesick.
Embezzlement
Warrant Issued
For Fails
A warrant for the arrest of P. J.
Fails, fugitive manager of the
Seward Veterans Housing Project,
was issued yesterday in the com
missioner’s court. Fails is wanted
here on a charge of embezzlement
following an audit of the books of
the housing project after Fails
left town without resigning.
The audit revealed glaring dis
crepancies in the records, and
while exact figures have not been
Veterans Housing occupants
have been notified that they
may pay their rent to the City
Clerk in his office in the City
nan, penaing lurtner arrange
ments.
released pending further check,
enough information has come to
light to make his arrest manda
tory.
Fails was known to be in Spo
kane yesterday, and extradition
proceedings were to be instituted
immediately. In all probability he
will be brought to trial in Anchor
age next month, Mayor Lanier
said.
Fails left town Saturday with
his family, and had plane reser
vations to the States, wifhoul
having given any notice whatever
to the city administration. Much
work is left unfinished that is
necessary to safeguard the plumb
ing and other utilities in the hous
ing area.
Residents of the area will be
asked to make affidavits concern
ing work done and rentals paid.
They will also be asked to inden
tify cancelled checks they have
written to pay for rent and other
services.
It is assumed that settlement of
all questions pertaining to the
housing project will be held in
abeyance for the time being. At
the time Fails fled the city was in
receipt of a letter from the Public
Housing Administration Office in
San Francisco to the effect that
the Housing Administration was
willing to submit a plan to settle
the financial tangle arising from
the building of the local Veteran's
Housing Project. The plan wa^
originally submitted by Carl Hut
ton, City' Attorney of Seward, and
was an entirely new plan.
WHITEY BARNETT SEARCH
TO CONTINUE
ANCHORAGE—The Tenth Res
cue Squadron reported that the
search for Whitey Barnett, Sew
ard aviator missing since October
23, lias been hampered by bad
weather and poor visibility. Planes
are conducting the search when
ever weather permits, and they
will continued to do so, it was
said.
Mr. and Mrs. George Yost re
turned Wednesday evening on the
train after a three month’s vaca
tion in the Middle West and Mon
tana. They drove both ways and
said the highway was in good con
dition, although they did encoun
ter ice in places.
The fire department answered °
call to 605 3rd Avenue Friday even
ing, where a davenport caught fire.
The davenport was a total loss,
and there was some smoke and
water damage.