SEWARD’S
All-cWeathec
SEAPORT
Is Alaska 8
Greatest Asset
Seward Seaport Record
THE ONLY NEWSPAPER IN THE WORLD THAT GIVES A HOOT ABOUT SEWARD, ALASKA
Vol. VI, No. 73
SEWARD, ALASKA, TUESDAY, MARCH 14, 1950
Price 10 Cents
Welcome Lions Club Delegates
To Seward
Fifth Annual Alaska Convention
MARCH 16 - 17 - 18
Our Yearly Objective—Seward's Community Welfare
Liberty - Intelligence - Our Nation’s Safety
Public Hearing
On Harbors
April 28th
Word was received here that
the Corps of Engineers will hold
a public hearing in Seward on
April 28 at the Civic Center at
which the people of Seward and
vicinity can express their views
on the needs and requirements
of the area for harbors, rivers
and hydroelectric installations.
A survey report, authorized
by the Hood control act of 1948,
prepared by the Alasita district
engineer recommends hydro
electric power developments es
timated to cost $45,604,000, navi
gation improvements totaling
$4,400,000, and flood control
work costing $46,000, plus addi
tional sums tor annual main
tenance in the area.
Part of a comprehensive in
vestigation of the entire terri
tory of Alaska by the Corps of
raigineers, tne present survey
is an interim report covering
the area draining into the tidal
waters of Cook Inlet. That part
of the survey which vitally con
cerns Seward and the lower
Kenal Peninsula is the proposed
construction of an intake struc
ture on Cooper Cake, a tunnel
and penstock leading to Kenai
Lake, and a power plant with
an installed capacity of 8,900
kilowatts on Kenai Lake, esti
mated to cost $5,032,000.
An intake structure on Cres
cent Lake, a tunnel and pen
stock leading to Kenai Lake,
and a power plant with an in
stalled capacity of 9,500 k.w.
on Kenai Lake, estimated to cost
$5,882,000.
Transmission facilities, switch
yards, and substations necessary
to inter-connect the three power
plants (these two with Eklutna)
and to deliver electrical energy
to load centers, estimated to cost
$9,500,000. 17,500 k.w. of power
would be generated by the two
proposed plants on Kenai Lake
at an estimated cost of $11,000,
000, or slightly under.
The interim report in full as
released by the Corps of En
gineers on March 6, has not been
published in this newspaper be
cause of a telegraph order from
the acting division engineer to
hold the release for revision un
til further notice.
Notice of a public hearing,
however, has been given con
cerning the power projects and
Seward’s harbor needs.
Interested parties have the
privilege of presenting their
(Turn to Page 4)
Sea Hawks Lose First
Game To Juneau
Seward’s basket ball team, the
Sea Hawks, lost their first game
to Juneau High School at Ju
neau last night with a score
of 43 to Juneau’s 54.
Local listener's heard the
game over station KINY, Ju
neau, and were thrilled by the
beautiful and sustained cheer
ing for Seward which indicated
that the Juneau student body
must have provided a cheering
section for their rivals.
The announcer seemed par
ticularly struck with the size
of the Sea Hawk players, re
marking several times about
Bill Erwin and Stan Anderson.
Antril Suydam received the
usual high praise for his amaz
ing snap and overhand shots.
The game ended at 7:15 Sew
ard time, so local sets should
be tuned in by 6:15 to catch the
whole game tonight and Wednes
day. Station KINY is at 1460
on your dial.
Moose Pass News
The regular meeting of the
Moose Pass Sportsmen's Club
was held Tuesday, March 7. A
dance was decided upon for Sat.,
March 18 as the next social ac
tivity. Delbert Wolf acted as
secretary in the absence of Mrs.
Sherman Pearson.
Mrs. Sherman Pearson has
been in Seward for the past two
weeks in order to be with her
son, Joe, who is hospitalized.
Joe is reported to be improving.
Mr. and Mrs. Wayne Racine
returned to Moose Pass on the
train Friday evening after a trip
Outside. They plan to open a
place of business in the near
future.
Clarence Krause has taken
over his duties as railroad agent
here at Moose Pass. He will be
joined by his wife, Faith, in a
short time. They have just re
turned from a trip Outside. Pre
viously he was stationed at
Broad Pass and McKinley Park.
The Junior Sportsmen and the
women played a hard-fought bas
ketball game Friday evening.
The women won, 20-14. The
winners have been challenged
by the men for a game on Sat.,
evening, March 25.
Mrs. Rodger Gray was the
honor guest at a kitchen shower
given at the home of Mrs. Phyl
lis Ingles last Tuesday. June
Jones was co-hostess. The show
er was a surprise to Mrs. Gray,
a new-comer to Seward, and she
was most appreciative for the
friendliness extended to her.
Fifteen guests were present.
Public Opinion
Necessary For
Sewer Project
The City Council was notified
by letter this week that the ap
plication for Community Facili
ties Service assistance in con
struction of the north end sewer
project has been placed on file
and given the number Aaa 50-A
67. Because other cities had
completed the advance engin
eering work incident to the ap
plications, however, they have
been given priority over the
Seward project, which has been
placed on file for consideration
under the 1951 appropriation.
The communication left the
way open for further consider
ation, if the townspeople can
prove that they consider the
sewer lines worth fighting for.
Only the pressure of public de
mand can bring about a recon
sideration of the project for this
year.
I Mayor Eugene N. Lanier sent'
a telegram in the name of the
City Council this morning, and
every resident affected by the
proposed sewer, as well as those
who are interested in the im
provement of living conditions,
the health and welfare of the
city and the future development
of Seward should feel compelled
to write or wire the following
address requesting reconsidera
tion of the Seward priority for
construction in 1950:
Mr. John D. Argetsinger, Dis
trict Engineer for Alaska, Gen
eral Services Administration,
P.O. Box 2749, Juneau, Alaska.
All communications must refer
to Seward project number Aaa
50-A-67.
fire at sanatorium
A fire destroyed the incinera
tor building at the Seward San
atorium last Friday afternoon.'
The Seward Fire Department
responded to the call and many
Sewardites followed out to the
hospital. The fire was confined
to the one small building with
out endangering any of the hos
pital buildings. i
It was a pleasure to see such
a splendid turnout at the East
ern Star dinner and card party j
last Saturday evening. Approxi
mately 125 persons attended. A i
delicious baked ham dinner was'
served and bridge, canasta and
pinochle was the entertainment
for the evening. Mrs. L. V. Ray
won the bridge prize, Mrs. A1
Torvanger was high for canasta,
and Mrs. C. E. Shea, for pi
nochle.
Del Robbins Loses
Workshop in Fire
A fire at 10:00 o’clock Sun
day night destroyed the quonset
workshop and storage room on
the property of Del Robbins at
501 First Avenue.
The quonset, standing only a
few feet from the uncompleted
home of the Robbins’, was used
as a workshop and to store the
building materials to be used
in the completion of the home.
Insulating material, siding, roof
ing, celotex, flooring and ply
wood, which had been accumu
lated in anticipation of spring
building was almost completely
destroyed. Tools, guns, skiis
and fishing tackle stored in the
building were also lost.
Mr. Robbins had been work
ing in the building until 8:30,
when he cleaned up and the
family left to visit friends. The
stove, a wood and trash burner
type, had no large chunks in it,
and had apparently nearly burn
ed out, leaving only a few em
bers, according to him, but must
have exploded from accumulat
ed gas. It was set in sand and
to all appearances was fool
proof.
Neighbors smelled smoke and
discovering the fire, turned in
the alarm at 10 p.m., which was
the first knowledge the Robbins'
had of the fire.
The fire department respond
ed in record time, according to
Mrs. Robbins, and did most ef
fective and efficient work in
extinguishing the fire in about
30 minutes, without any damage
to the house standing within six
feet of the quonset. Because of
low water pressure in the fire
hydrant, the water was pumped
through the pressure pump on
the fire truck.
SEWARD DEMOCRATS TO
HOLD CAUCUS
A Democratic Party precinct
caucus for the Seward voting
precinct will be held in the
Liberty Theatre in Seward at
9:35 p.m. on March 15th, to
which all members of the Demo
cratic Party residing in the Sew
ard voting precinct are urged
to attend.
Mr. and Mrs. Bert Culverson
attended the Purple Bubble
Ball in Anchorage last Saturday.
Mr. Culverson brought down a
list of 100 names of people who
have signed up to come to Sew
ard for the Seward Elks’ first
annual Purple Bubble Ball.
They will arrive on a special
train next Saturday. The Swan
son SwingstCrs, who play for j
the Elks’ Club dances in Anchor
age, will be the orchestra for
the dance.
Swimming Pool
Vetoed By
School Board
The proposal of the City
Council to build a gymnasium
and swimming pool in Seward
as the first unit of a high school
was vetoed by the School Board
last night at a special meeting
of the council.
Dr. J. H. Shelton, as spokes
man for the School Board said
that it was the opinion of the
board that until the school build
ing itself is completed, the
building of a swimming pool and
separate gymnasium might jeo
pardize the possibility of the en~
tire program, and that the actual
class room building for a high
school is the first necessity.
“We would be tickled to
death,” said Dr. Shelton, “to see
a swimming pool and civic rec
reation center in town, but we
must have the school first, and
we do not feel that the expense
ol maintenance of a swimming
pool should be the responsibility
of the School Board.”
The board's tentative plans
call for an auditorium with
dressing roms and storage rooms
for scenery and a seating ca
pacity of 500 on a sloping floor,
as a separate unit from the gym
nasium. The city’s need for an
adequate auditorium was cited
in stressing the proposal.
It was pointed out that an
opinion has been given by Col.
Morell, who inspected Seward
for the GSA, and by the Terri
torial Board of Education, to the
effect that this city has adequate
school facilities for perhaps five
years, and that an application
for a new school would receive
the lowest priority. It was also
recalled that Governor Gruen
ing has assured his full support
and approval of any immediate
steps toward recreational facili
ties in Seward, and for these rea
sons the gymnasium and swim
ming pool as proposed would, in
all probability, receive an im
mediate consideration by the
Community Facilities Service.
The School Board, however, re
mained adamant against the
proposition at the present time
being tied in with the school
program.
Sewardites will be busy meet
ing trains and boats this week
end. A special train will arrive
Thursday with Lions from dif
ferent parts of Alaska and more
from Southeastern Alaska will
arrive by boat.
Don’t Plan ANYTHING ELSE!
Purple Bubble Ball