Library & Museum
Juneau, Alaska
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V0L- 22> NO- 25_ KODIAK, ALASKA, JUNE 22, 1962 PRICE TEN CENTS
Halibut Skipper
Passes In Port
Skipper John Bjorke, 62, of the
halibut boat Pioneer III passed
away Wednesday evening while
taking a steam bath at the Bay
Shore Steam Baths.
Trooper C. E. Hussey and Pa
trolman Elmer Dean found him
dead in one of the steam rooms at
about 9:22 p.m. after Bobbie Jay
called to report he failed to re
spond to calls.
Fishermen Accept
2nd Price Offer
Agreement was reached on fish
prices between Kodiak Island fish
ermen and canneries last Saturday
when members of the Kodiak Mar
keting Association voted by a small
margin to accept the industry offer
increasing the price by three cents
on “Dogs,” II/2 cents on “Pinks,” 2
cents on Silvers, and 2!£ cents on
Reds. The vote was 142 to 104, ac
cording to Association President
Lloyd Cannon.
Bids On Kodiak Ferry Rejected
Juneau W)—The state Division of
Marine Transportation said today
it has rejected all bids submitted
for construction of the southwest
ern Alaska ferry, because the bids
exceeded available state funds.
B. E. Lewellen, director of the
division, said Philip F. Spaulding
the Seattle marine architect who
designed the ferry, has been in
structed to redesign the ship,
which will link Kodiak Island and
the Kenai Peninsula.
Basically, we’re going to try to
come up with a smaller ship which
won’t cost so much,” Lewellen said.
Original plans called for a 276
foot ship with a 60-foot beam, ca
pable of carrying 250 passengers
and 54 automobiles at a sustained
speed of 15 knots.
Lewellen said he and Spaulding
felt the new design should retain
the vehicle loading elevator whicn
was included in the original plans.
The lowest bid submitted for the
southwestern ferry was an_offer of
$3,733,945 by the Puget Sound
Bridge and Drydock Co. of Seattle,
which is constructing the three fer
ries for the southeast Alaska run.
Puget Sound Bridge and Dry
dock and three other ship building
firms entered a total of 132 bids on
the southwestern ferry, including
bids on various alternates and dif
ferent delivery dates.
Bikes, Scooters
Wanted In Parade
Kids- Do you want spending
money for the Fourth? Win a
prize!
It’s easy to win a prize, says Ray
Martin, Sr., chairman of the com
mittee handling children’s entries
in the big parade. All you have to
do is dress up that bike, scooter or
tricycle, enter it in the parade. He
says there are prizes galore for
these entries.
Also, if you have a pet—cat, dog,
billy goat, horse or what have you,
dress it up and enter it. It may win
a prize.
This Fourth celebration is for
the kids, Martin emphasized.
Every effort is being made to pro
vide fun for them. Entries from
both girls and boys are welcome.
Editorial -
Bold Action Needed To Save Our Fishing
The fledgling State of Alaska took a bold step a few months ago
when it arrested Japanese fishermen operating in its waters.
This was done without any aid from the U.S. State Department.
On the contrary, while the State Department was significantly lacking
in any action, it became necessary for the governor of Alaska to make
a bold and decisive move to protect the fisheries of the state.
Since then there has been an alarming silence on the part of the
Federal government as to what policy to pursue. In the meantime,
Japanese and Russian fishermen continue fishing our waters, taking,
not millions of pounds of fish, but billions each year.
In the meantime, our government is bending over backwards in
an effort not to offend foreign countries. Its huge give-away programs
to other nations has made is necessary to raise the ceiling on the na
tional public debt.
It would appear its give-a-way program is now extended to our
waters and the resources of the sea.
Fishing, whether for halibut, salmon, shrimp or crab, is the the
basic industry of Alaska—the mainstay of its economy. Defense dollars,
exploitation of oil and other resources, bolster the State’s economy,
but from the rainswept city of Ketchikan to the bleak and lonely out
posts of the Aleutians, men struggle against the elements to wrest a
livelihood from the sea. Employment, basic for any healthy economy,
is thus provided, not only for these men, but for the boat builders, the
grocer, and all those who have a hand in outfitting the fishermen,
right down to the cannery worker, and the crew of a caigo ship that
takes the finished product to the distributor.
In order to protect this heritage, bold action must again be taken.
A Russian fishing fleet is operating just a short distance from Kodiak.
Japanese and Russian fleets are to be found in Alaskan waters along
the Aleutians and Bristol Bay. These operations are being stepped up
every year, with finer boats and larger vessels. As we stand idly by
our fisheries are being depleted by other nations with know-how and
equipment unmatched.
There is a way that can in some measure stop the inroads being
made on our fisheries. That way is to push for the 12 mile limit. We
are heartily in accord with State Senator Bob Logan who is advocating
(Continued On Page 4)
Oldtimer Tim
Chernoff Passes
(Note: Funeral Services for
Tim Chernoff will be held at 2
p.m. Sunday afternoon at the
Russians Orthodox Church and
burial services will be held im
mediately following at the Rus
sian Cemetery.)
Word was received this past
weekend of the passing of Tim
Chernoff, 67, at the Alaska Native
Service Hospital in Anchorage.
Mr. Chernoff at 67 was one of
Kodiak’s wel-known local oldtim
ers who was born and raised here
and lived most of his life in this
community. His family at one time
lived on Cherikof Island. In his
prime he was renown throughout
this area of Alaska as a marine
engineer and served many years as
engineer on the Fish and Wildlife
vessel “Blue Wing.” One of Tim’s
fond memories as an oldtimer was
the moving of the original herd
of Roosevelt Elk from Kalsin Bay
to Afognak Island. The herd, which
then numbered only seven animals
which had been brought here from
the Olympic Peninsula of Wash
ington state, had become trouble
some to ranchers at Kalsin Bay and
Tim assisted in rounding them up
and putting them aboard the FWS
vessel for transfer to Afognak.
Mr. Chernoff was able to trace
his family lineage back to the first
Russian settlers of Kodiak Island
and possessed the original Russian
land grant for the land he lived on
here as well as his father’s oath of
allegiance to the United States is
sued to Russian families who chose
(Continued on Page 9)
Waterfront News
A.P.A. cannery workers were
again suddenly busy after Captain
W. J. “Mac” McAlister brought in
3,500 boxes of razor clams from
Swichshak Beach early Wednesday
morning on the Sea Lion. Things
had been a bit slow in clamming
for a few days due to a price dis
pute with the diggers who appar
ently now are back hard at it with
their “clam guns.” Skipper McAl
ister, who with his wife and two
children now make their home in
Kodiak, left Wednesday afternoon
to return for another load of the
APA delicacy. Both McAlister and
Lee Andrich, who is skippering the
Merganser in its clam litering op
eration from Poly Creek expect
(Continued On Page 4)
John Harris, Mr. and Mrs. John Cushing
Mrs. A. Holmes
Johnson Home
Mrs. A. Holmes Johnson re
turned last Tuesday after crossing
the continent twice with Dr. A.
Holmes Johnson who has been at
tending various Rotary meetings
and conventions in the nation. Dr.
Johnson will arrive back in Kodiak
early this coming week from An
chorage where he is making plans
for the Rotary convention which is
to be held there next year.
Mrs. Johnson accompanied the
Doctor to attend the Rotary Dis
trict Convention in Vancouver,
B.C., the International Rotary
Governor’s Assembly of Incoming
Governors at Lake Placid, N.Y.,
and the International Rotary Club
Convention in Los Angeles, Calif.
Dr. Johnson also attended the Ro
tary District 504 Meeting of Past
Governors at New Westminster,
Canada before his arrival in An
chorage.
The Johnsons attended the
World’s Fair in Seattle and also
visited a number of friends and
relatives during their six weeks
tour
Downtown School
Bids Opened
A bid of $2,258.35 for interior
painting of the Downtown schol
was accepted by the school board
at its Monday meeting. The low
bid was submitted by John F.
Sautner, Kodiak Decorators, and
Donald B. Foster, Alaska Decora
tors and was slightly less than
Clark Painting Service, Box 1700,
Anchorage, Alaska, which bid $2,
260. A third bid of $5,200 by Arm
strong and Austerman was high.
The one bid for re-roofing the
school was rejected by the board
as too high. The board may call for
new bids on the roofing.
More Entries Asked For Fourth Parade
More than 19 entries are prom
ised to date in the 4th of July pa
rade to be staged on that date as
the kick-off event of the big day’s
celebration, according to Chuck
Edris, parade chairman.
Some novel entries will make
their appearance this year. Lead
ing the parade will be a parade
marshal atop his horse. He will be
flanked on either side by flag-bear
ing escorts, also astride horses.
These in turn will be followed by
a four-man color guard, also on
horses.
The Army band, which made
such a hit during the King Crab
Festival, will lead the marching
units in the parade. World War I
veterans will participate as a sep
arate unit as will all World War
II veterans. The Navy Band, Ma
rine Corps and many other march
ing units will be in the parade.
Organizations or individuals
planning to enter the parade are
asked to contact Chuck Edris or
Lou Veerman. Emphasis this year
is on individuals entering, especial
ly novelty numbers.
Booths are still available on the
midway. Reservations are being
handled by the Fleet Reserve As
sociation.
“We are calling for as many par
ticipants as possible,” Edris stated.
“We need a revival of the old pa
triotism, and the parade can be a
highlight, setting up the spirit of
the day’s celebration.”
Trans-Alaska Buys
Kodiak Phone Co.
John and Martha Cushing this
week announced the sale of the
Kodiak Telephone Company to the
Trans-Alaska Telephone Company
of Anchorage.
“We wish to thank the people of
Kodiak for their patronage and
friendship over the past years. We
feel the affiliation of Kodiak Tele
phone Company with a larger or
ganization will bring many addi
tional advantages to the subscrib
ers in the Kodiak area,” the Cush
ings said in their announcement.
Thomas Harris, President of
Trans-Alaska Telephone said the
purchase of the Kodiak Telephone
Co., Inc., is part of the Company’s
continued expansion program.
“We have long been interested
in the Kodiak system from a stand
point of being able to offer the
residents of the State a better in
tegrated service to which they are
entitled,” Mr. Harris said.
“Since we serve the needs of
Bristol Bay area and the Kenai
Peninsula with vital communica
tion networks, we feel Kodiak
should be an integral part of this
system,” he added.
Trans-Alaska now serves King
Salmon, Dillingham, Naknek, Sel
dovia, Homer, Anchor Point, Ke
nai, Soldotna, Sterling, Portage and
Girdwood. The purchase of the Ko
diak facility will enlarge the com
munication network of the South
central Alaskan area which also
includes Talkeetna and Willow
north of Anchorage.
The newly acquired facility was
granted a franchise by the city of
Kodiak in 1945.
“We are happy to become a
working part of Kodiak,” said Har
ris, adding, “Our expansion pro
gram is intended to better the com
munications of Alaskans all over
the state and the addition of the
Kodiak system to Trans-Alaska
Telephone Company is another
link in this vital field.”
Trans-Alaska also owns and op
erates telephone exchanges at
North Pole, Nenana, Big Delta and
Kotzebue in the Northern section
of the State.
Mr. Harris and Bill Campbell,
Comptroller for the company were
in Kodiak Monday and Tuesday to
look over the local plant.
Harris will return several weeks
hence to study the feasibility of
radio-telephone hookups with out
lying villages.
No changes as to personnel op
erating the service here has been
announced.