Alaskan Born
(Continued from Page 3)
burden here, the usual volcanic ash
and thick brush. With the photos
you find something interesting on
the map and then you go out to it
instead of wandering aimlessly.
I’ve done quite a bit of looking
around within one day’s walk of
the roads around here—nothing
too long range.
“Just as a general summary on
the geology of the island: on the
northwest coast, and going down
from there, we have a belt of vari
ous metamorphic rocks, schists—
these are very complex — a few
limestones and old volcanics mixed
in with them. The bulk of the is
land is this monotonous black slate
and sandstone we see around here.
Then right in the middle of the
island we have an igneous intru
sive, roughly granite in composi
tion, which forms the high peaks
of the island. The granite intrudes
into the sediments, the slate and
sandstone. Then right along the
east coast there are little pockets,
or lenses, of sandstone, fairly re
cent deposits like we see at Nar
row Cape. The particular segment
or dense at Narrow Cape is some
of jhe newest rock on Kodiak Is
land — probably about 1,000,000
ye*-s old. It’s highly fossiliferous.
You’ve seen the pelacypeds and
the gastropods?’
We had always assumed Kodiak
to oe, like the Aleutians, volcanic
e nipt ions that rose out of the sea
millions of years ago; Mike cor
rected this misconception with a
firm “No! Kodiak is not a volcanic
island and it has no relation to the
Aleutians or to the Alaskan penin
sula. There may have certain times
in the past, say 300,000,000 years
ago, when there was a small
amount of volcanic action, but if
so, those volcanos have long since
eroded. There are possibly a few
patches of very old lava on the
other side of the island; there is
no record I know of that says so.
There was a deep trough extending
up into the Kenai peninsula which
is geologically quite similar to Ko
diak Island. Into this trough was
dumped many thousands of feet of
sediments, very rapidly, which
were silts and sands, and these sed
iments were compacted into rocks,
and after this compaction the gran
ite was intruded. Since the granite
was hot and in a plastic state, is
cooked and baked the silt and sand
and made it into the very hard
slate and sandstone we see around
here. This is one form of metamor
phism.
“This all took place about 150,
000,000 years ago, but the island
didn’t have its present form then;
it hadn’t been glaciated. Glaciers
formed most of the valleys and cut
the higher peaks on the island.
Much later, the beaches were
formed.”
As a last remnanit of the glacial
age there are actually some gla
ciers still on this island. Mike con
tinued, “In Alaska they would not
be termed active glaciers but in
Colorado they would be considered
so. Colorado would probably have
a state park around them. They are
properly glaciers, blue ice, crav
assed, possibly a mile to a mile-and
a-half wide, in the saddles between
mountains. They are high on the
north side, and possibly also on the
east side of the island.
“Actually, you don’t have to go
far to look at geology; you see it
in parking lots and out of car win
dows. As the granite was pushing
up into the slates and sandstone,
it crumbled and distorted the lay
ers, as we can see in any road cut
around here. Sometimes you see
little quartz veinlets, the very last
product of the cooling granite;
these indicate there’s something
below ,and this is the granite where
the slate Iras not eroded off yet.”
Ensign Michael Blackwell
When Mike Blackwell isn’t ski
ing—“poorly but enthusiastically”
—or helping out with construction
of the new Little Theatre on the
base, or reading Alaskan history,
or busy in a social way, or rock
gazing, if he can’t be found he is
very likely climbing Barometer.
He says he climbs it about twice a
month, that the season doesn’t mat
ter because he has the proper
equipment. “It’s good exercise. I
climbed a number of peaks in Colo
rado, and Mendenhall Glacier back
iri Juneau. I’m not a craggsman by
any means, but I like climbing.
When I’ve flown back from A dak
and we’ve come over this island
I’ve seen some wonderful climbing
wwmi^i—^—■—iwry.>
DR. BRUCE KEERS IS SEEN as he accepts check from VFW
Post Commander Reeves Reed given in aid of the Heart Fund. Pres
entation was made March 26. Margaret Norem, president of the Aux
iliary, and “Pye” Watson, new Post-command, look on.
Photo by Ameigh
mountains I doubt have ever been
climbed. The one in the middle of
the island are much better because
they’re clean, hard granite. These
local ones are rather soft. No. I
don’t know of any climbing club
around here. For one thing you
would have to fly in to get to the
better mountains, and it would be
a week’s trip. You’d have to hike
quite a distance before you could
start up those peaks.”
Have you seen any evidence of
valuable mineral deposits on Ko
diak? “Well, you see, I’m not par
ticularly interested in the eco
nomic aspect; That’s entirely sec
ondary. As far as the economic as
pects here, it’s interesting academ
ically but I don’t know of anything
very valuable since the early 1900’s
on Kodiak. There was some mining
in those days, beach placers on the
south and southwest coasts, and
lodes around Terror Bay, the
mouth of Anton Larson Bay, Bar
ling Bay, Uyak Bay, Dry Spruce
Island. These had gold, a little bit
of silver possibly, and the usual
sulphides. No, there’s no indica
tion of any jade here.”
Conversation turned to last sum
mer’s volcanic dust fall-out over
Kodiak, which Mike thoroughly en
joyed because it was a dramatic
show of geology happening, and
then talk turned to the future de
velopment of Alaska. Mike said
that he looked toward the key of
development being water power.
“This is the way I hope it goes. I
see a row of Kitimats all along the
coast and the Alaska range. This
could be done, I think. No, it
wouldn’t support a large popula
tion, but it would be a tax base.
Aluminum could be brought in from
Venezuela, or Jamaica; steel, from
the ores we have right here in
Alaska. And there’s no shortage
of coal or limestone. What’s more,
the ore is often at tidewater. It
sounds easy but from planning to
production will take years. The
thing is that with the tremendous
investment you’ve got to make in
an integrated mining-smelting op
eration these days, you’ve got to
do exploration and development
for years before hand. And because
of old claims, sometimes stacked
on top of each other, litigation can
take a long time. And then there’s
the pulp angle in Southeast. With
water power you can do many
things.”
We recalled that some people in
Southeast Alaska have been wor
ried about Japanese investments
there. Mike said, ‘There is a Jap
anese pulp mill there right now,
(Continued on Page 7)
""" \ —
KODIAK PUBLIC
SCHOOL
MENU
April 10 - April 14
MONDAY — Spanish Rice with
Meat, Buttered Green Beans, Ap
plesauce, Bread - Butter - Milk.
TUESDAY — Baked Meat Pie,
Buttered Beets, Sliced Peaches,
Bread - Butter - Milk.
WEDNESDAY — Hot Dog on
Buttered Bun, Baked Beans, Car
rot Sticks, Fruited Jello, Chocolate
Milk.
THURSDAY — Spaghetti with
Meat Sauce, Buttered Spinach, Gar
lic Bread, Pineapple, Milk.
FRIDAY — Tuna Salad Sand
wich, Creamed Carrots, Fruit and
Cake.
(Soup for High School)
CARD OF THANKS
For the many loving things that
were done for us in our sorrow, we
are deeply grateful. We want to
thank the doctors, the Sisters and
nurses of Griffin Memorial Hos
pital for all they did. Also to the
cab drivers who donated their time
so kindly to us. Please accept our
sincere thanks one and all.
Mrs. Edna Brooks and family.
THIS SCENE OF THE KODIAK AIRWAYS PLANE crash shows
Gene Kingston retrieving the radio dropped by the Coast Guard
shortly after he wag, found. Kingston was suffering from a brain con
cussion and a dislocated shoulder. At the time of the crash he lay
unconscious in the snow, bat had presence of mind to get into a sleep
ing bag in the baggage compartment of the plane. Food during the
three days consisted of a chocolate bar and heated Vienna sausages.
The pilots wife, June, arrived in Kodiak Wednesday. They have
five children, who remained in Renton, Wash. —Coast Guard Photo.
Two More Days
Commissioner Peter Gatz of the
Alaska Department of Revenue said
today the due date for filing of
Alaska State income tax returns
has been extended to Monday,
April 17, because the normal April
15 deadline falls on Saturday.
C'atz said agents will be on duty
at the department’s offices in
Ketchikan, Fairbanks and Anch
orage each week day to assist Alas
kans in the preparation and filing
of their returns.
ED KRATOCHVIL, the new
manager of the Elks Club here,
assumed his new duties April 1st
He replaces Jim Eggemeyer who
resigned.
The new manager, more fa
miliarly known as the “Commis
sar” retired as a lieutenant com
mander last year after 30 years
in the Navy, and became man
ager of the Civil Service Club on
the Naval Station. His wife Anne
was in charge of the cafeteria.
Staff Photo
Girl Scouts Win
In Fund Drive
Because of the financial support
resulting from the drive, the Girl
Scout program is assured continued
activity.
“The Girl Scouts and Brownies
of Kodiak wish to thank everyone
who contributed to their fund drive
to make it a success, a spokesman
for the Scouts stated. The money
is used for Girl Scout Hut ex
penses, assistance for Troop camp
ing, general supplies, etc., it was
said.
Girls Invade
Rotary Den
Most King Crab Carnival Queen
contestants were guests at Rotary
Tuesday noon when the club met
at the 49 Room, They were intro
duced by sponsors or their repre
sentatives.
A film depicting the Navy’s part
played in current events was
shown.
Queen contestants present were:
Chickie C h y a, Diane McLeod,
Chickie Zeihe, May Valley, Sandra
Carter, Alberta Mueller, Ruby
Carlson, Melanie Draper, Sharon
Holman, Peggy Heglin and Sandi
Marconi. Other guests present in
cluded Dolores Gallagher, last
year’s queen, Jim Monro, Torn Gal
lagher, Anna Mueller, Frank Irick,
Ken Nekeferoff, John Fletcher,
George Rupers, Rev. Macarius Tar
gonsky.
TRENT GOES TO SEATTLE
FOR OFFICERS TRAINING
John Trent leaves April 16, for
Seattle for the annual Reserve Of
ficer’s Training cruise.
fie will remain there for two
weeks.
«SUAI.ITV # -
t AU. STOATS
(£GGE/V
eem - sofcFBKs
CATEGORIES AND PRIZES
FOR CHILDREN’S PARADE
The following prizes are being offered for only the Kiddies’
Parade portion of the general parade:
Best Tie in with Festival Theme; may be an individual,
group or float, $25.
Best Float Entry; $15 $10 and $5.
Best Marching unit or group; $10, $7.50 and $5.
First, second and third prizes of $3, $2 and $1 will be
awarded in each of the following individual costume listings:
Cowboy, cowgirl, most original (both girl and boy) best
tricycle, best bicycle, best clown and best costumed pet.