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Published every Friday at Kodiak, Alaska
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Send notices of undeliverable copies to:
THE ISLAND PUBLISHING COMPANY
Box 1307, Kodiak. Alaska
Sig J. Digree, Editor and Publisher
Betha Digree, Associate Editor
Staff Photographer.George C. Ameigh. Jr.
MEMBER OF ASSOCIATED PRESS
The Associated Press is exclusively entitled to the use or republica
tion of all news dispatches credited to it or not otherwise credited in
this paper and also the local news published herein.
Mirrored Reflections
By Sig Digree
The following is in the nature of
a book review, but a book review of
a special nature, or should we say
a book of a special nature, and of
particular interest to us in Kodiak
because it deals with one phase of
its illustrious pasty
The name Erskine is unescap
able in relation to Kodiak’s past,
for it is linked with the transition
of this great territory of Alaska
from a Russian colony to one be
longing to the United States. Wil
liam Fiske Erskine, of a later gen
eration of Erskines, had his mo
ments here as a boy and during
his youth. He has written a book
about it which we haven’t read but
will in due time (as soon as we
can acquire a copy.) We thought
readers of the Mirror might like
to read a book review taken from
The Miami Herald, about the auth
or who first went to sea, aboard a
whaler, at the age of 11.
WHITE WATER. An Alaskan Ad
venture by Wilson Fiske Ers
kine. (Abelard Schuman, ($4.95)
It seems unusual that the author
of this book, a fourth-generation
Alaskan, has left those ice-studded
waters for the soft, warm ones of
Biscayne Bay.
But it is a fact that he now lives
in Miami, and that his book is one
to stir the blood of all rugged ad
venturers.
This Naval reserve captain, mas
ter mariner, was born in a three
storied log house laced with red
wood. It was built in the days when
his great great grandfather com
manded sailing ships for the Rus
sian-American Co. out of San Fran
cisco.
When the territory changed own
ership the old captain won a race
to the Pribolov Islands and the ex
clusive rights to its priceless seals.
The author, who spent one year
at Stanford University before the
call of the tall icebergs got too
strong for him. first went to sea at
the age of 11 on the Carolyn Fran
cis. named for his baby sister and
christened by his mother.
There wasn’t much room on the
great whalers for boys, but he
pitched fish out of the hold and
swabbed the deck.
His mother insisted on taking
the children “outside” to California
for winter school sessions, but here
was one small boy who could
hardly wait to get back north. Ers
kine worked in wrarehouses and on
docks in Kodiak.
In 1933, he helped organize the
MGM party which shot the great
Arctic moving picture, ‘ Eskimo.”
They shipped north on a 450-foot
steamer for Nome and the book
tells of his adventures with whales,
icebergs, glaciers, and unfriendly
Russians.
Once he stuck a harpoon straight
into a whale's blow hole, and the
great monster nearly upset the
boat. Another time the party was
pursued by Russian gunboats with
in the three-mile limit.
The sailors went whaling from
Kodiak as nonchalantly as English
sportsmen go hunting foxes. But
there is an excitement and thrill
about the whole thing — played
against the great vista of icy moun
tains and over lanes of frozen sea
—that makes Captain Erskine’s
book a ^eal novelty.
The tfjie drawings are his own,
and he claims that, if nothing else,
he can now draw palm trees and
sandy beaches where once he de
picted whales and polar bears.
* * *
Did You Know. That in 1960
there were more than 41,000 cases
of hepatitis, a stubborn virus in
fection of the liver, and this was
an increase of 77 per cent over the
number of cases in 1959.
That in the first six weeks of
1961 there were 9,576 cases of hep
atitis, an increase of 123 percent
over the 4,300 cases reported in the
same period in 1960.
That the incidence of hepatitis
is up this year in 43 states—that in
this year’s first six weeks, three
states averaged more than 100 hep
atitis cases a week—California,
Ohio, and Tennessee.
• * •
Editors have their moments,
otherwise we would not be in the
business. Evidently the job gets a
little overwhelming for some mem
bers of the fourth estate, as evi
denced by the following poem:
“An editor knocked at the Pearly
Gates,
His face was scarred and cold;
He stood before the man of fate
For admission to the fold.
“What have you done, St. Peter
BILL MAKES GOVENOR
RECIPIENT OF FED. MONEY
JUNEAU UP—A bill granting the
governor permission to accept fed
eral monies for teacher salaries,
school construction, other educa
tional purposes if such new funds
become available while the legisla
ture is not in session passed the
House 23-10.
The bill is designed to permit
State participation in Federal aid
education bill now pending before
Congress.
asked,
To gain admission here?
I’ve been an editor, sir, he said,
For many and many a year.
“The pearly gates swung open
wide,
St. Peter touched the bell,
Come in, he said, and choose your
harp,
You’ve had your share of hell.”
• • •
“In some cases, when a woman
makes a fool of a man, it’s an im
provement.”—'Franklin P. Jones.
Waterfront
(Continued from Page 1)
in the week. The crew had a Sun
day off, the first for some time.
&
They are still at it at Alaska
Packers. The Belina is in and they
should be good for a couple more
days of running this week. The
Belina is skippered by Bud Oool
idge.
£
At King Crab, Inc., they are still
up to their necks in work, with
crab and shrimp still going strong.
They, too, had a welcome Sunday
off. Tenders are arriving regularly
with loads.
The Copper Prince is in for re
pair as is the Commander. The for
mer is skippered by Jan Buekers
and the latter by Leonard Lange.
*
According to figures released by
Jack Metzgar, the biggest shipment
of seafoods ever to go out by ship
was put aboard the Tatalina last
week.—about 550 tons.
There was approximately 585
tons inbound freight, which was
about usual.
A breakdown of the seafood ship
ment shows that 1583 cases of
canned crab went out. 9,647 cases
of canned shrimp went aboard; and
there was 12 vans of frozen crab
also.
£
The Mercator, floating cannery
of Pan American was in port this
week. The ship went to Ouzinkie,
and from there will head back to
Seattle.
INQUIRE BEFORE YOU RE
TIRE. This is sound advice to the
individual planning to file for old
age and survivors insurance pay
ments. Knowing what papers are
needed in advance will speed up
your claim, according to Everell
C. Cummins, District Manager of
the Juneau District Office of the
Social Security Administration.
The papers you are likely to need
are your social security card, proof
of age; evidence of earnings or
self-employment income for I960,
he added.
A birth certificate is the best
proof of age.
If you work for wages, your
W-2, withholding tax statement,
for 1960 will be acceptable as evi
dence of earnings. If you are in
business for yourself, an extra copy
of your 1040, income tax return,
and schedule 1040C, profit and loss
statement from your business, are
needed along with your cancelled
check showing payment of the tax.
These items are necessary in
most cases. Needed papers vary
with the individual.
King Crab Festival Tickets Now On Sale
Tickets are now on sale in the
King Crab Festival Queen contest,
Ray Martin, Festival chairman an
nounced today, and may be pur
chased from your favorit candi
date.
The candidate who sells the most
tickets will be crowned queen of
this years annual Crab festival,
and will preside over the festhi
ties of May 5. 6 and 7. She will win
a $500 cash prize, and each of the
other contestants will be awarded
$100.
The prize this year for the lucky
ticket holder is a de luxe 1961 Cor
vair Monza coupe, in red with
white upholstery, purchased
through Donnelley & Acheson.
local Chevrolet dealer. It is now
on display at the Donnelley &
Acheson building, by the post
office.
"Every business concern needs
some promising young men — in
order to attract good secretaries.”
—Marjorie Johnson.
Why Don’t You Grow Fruit Trees?
Is there a fruit tree on Kodiak
Island?
Such a question may startle the
reader. Fruit is such an important
item in our diet, eaten as it is,
fresh from the tree, or from the
can. Thawed from its frozen state,
it is still delicious.
The question asked above should
probably be qualified. Is there
fruit trees that bear fruit on the
Island?
This train of thought was started
by a letter from the University Ex
tension Service in which they give
some pointers in planting fruit
trees. Here are some of them.
“First, pick a variety which is
recommended by the Extension
Service as having the best oppor
tunity of surviving and bearing
fruit.
Second, order from a reliable
nursery and have it come Air Par
cel Post the third or fourth week in
May or the first week in June. If
the nursery is experienced in ship
ping nursery stock to Alaska, it
will hold the tree dormant until
that time. It may be wise to cor
respond with the nursery now.
Alaska Extension Circular No.
420 entitled "Recommended Fruits
For Alaska” gives you the varieties
of tree fruits and small fruits
which have the best opportunity
for success. It can be obtained
from the Extension Office and
some Post Ofifces.
The site where the fruit trees
are to be planted is important. It
is wise to plant them where they
are protected from winds both
winter and summer and where
there is a good exposure to sum
mer sun. The south side of a house
or other building can often times
furnish the necessary protection
from the wind. Also, the radiation
of heat from the building will help
to raise the daytime and night
time temperatures and thus en
hance the growth of the trees.
The soil which in the trees are
planted should be well drained. It
is far better that the soil be a little
too dry than a little too wet. The
bulletin suggests digging a hole a
little larger than necessary and
putting in a 12-inch or 16-inch
layer of gravel. It would seem this
precaution is a necessity in Kodiak.
Top soil of course should be placed
in the hole before planting the
tree.
The bulletin lists the two big
causes of tree death and injury as
being mice and moose. We don’t,
of course, have any trouble with
moose, since there are none, but
the mice could be a problem.
It would seem to this writer, who
has had very little experience grow
ing fruit trees, but likes the end
result, and comes from a section of
the country where they did grow
some excellent apples, namely Spo
kane, that the big requisite is a
dry soil, and a long enough grow
ing season. That is probably why
there are few if any, fruit trees on
the island.
This could be a challenge to
someone who likes to do or attempt
the impossible.
Just think—here is an area of
the country where the small boy
grows up without once tasting the
forbidden fruits of a farmer’s orch
ard, gained sometimes at the ex
pense of shotgun pellets in the
seat of his pants. Nor can children
here woo the favors of the teacher
with one of those red, delicious ap
ples, as we did in former days.
Maybe the children can do bet
ter these days with a banana pur
chased locally at 50 or 60 cents a
pound!
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A BRILLIANT GAMS TFilS EVENING - ABSOLUTELY
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GO AHEAD AND ADMIT "ThAT YbU PLAYED VlAT
SLAM LIKE A MASTER,. NO ONE ELSE WILL TElL
Nyx»,SO I'M GLAD Tb DO IT
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Life't Darke* Moment a mnn classic
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