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Liquidation Of Alaska’s Oldest Business
Firm Announced By Robert Acheson
Kodiak and Alaska’s oldest con
tinuous mercantile firm, known to
day as Donnelley and Acheson,
but which was started in 1796
when Russia owned Alaska, an
nounced this week its plan to
liquidate its stock.
The announcement was made by
Robert Acheson who said all the
stock on hand would be sold. The
firm will continue to operate the
General Motors distributorships
here.
An announcement of the real
property owned by the firm will
be made at a later date, Acheson
said.
At the beginning the company
was known as the Russian Trad
ing Company, and after the pur
chase of Alaska by the U.S. it was
Demos Attack City
On Mishandling Of
Boat Harbor Fund
Present city officials came un
der heavy fire from local Demo
cratic party leaders at Tuesday’s
party caucus for “ignoring for two
years now the demands of fisher
men for fire fighting equipment,
(including a telephone) and sani
tary facilities in the small boat
harbor.”
“The need for such vital and
necessary inner boat harbor facili
ties has been brought to the atten
tion of the city for the past two
years,” said Rep. Pete Deveau who
had been appointed to write a let
ter to the council on the matter at
the previous meeting. “Perhaps a
citizens law suit is necessary,” he
said.
“I took the matter up directly
with the mayor,” Deveau reported,
adding, “and was told that the city
manager was not entirely con
vinced that the facilities demanded
were feasible.”
“At times from three to four mil
lion dollars worth of boats and gear
are moored in the boat harbor.
The fishermen pay the sales tax,
half of which is a dedicated fund
specifically earmarked for provid
(Continued on Page 4)
Borough Starters
To Elect Heads
Tuesday, Oct. 9 ,
Third in a series of Borough
meetings will be held Tuesday,
Oct. 9 at 8 p.m. at the district
courtroom above the postoffice
at which time permanent of
ficers will be named.
Two prior meetings have been
spent discussing formation of a
Borough in Kodiak in compli
ance with the Alaskan law en
acted by the 1961 legislature.
Nearly 20 were on hand for
the last meeting with representa
tives from Kodiak proper, the
Mill Bay Road and Mission
Road.
[he Alaska Commercial Company.
Still later it was operated by the
Rrskine firm until the Donnelley
and Acheson firm took over man
agement.
Gov. Egan Here
On His Birthday
Gov. William Egan will be in
Kodiak on Monday, Oct. 8, on a
campaign tour at which time he
is expected to make a statement
on the Russian fishing vessels
interfering with crabbing opera
tions in the Kodiak area.
The Governor’s birthday falls
on that date and the party is ar
ranging a no host birthday party
in his honor at the Mecca at 7
p.m.
All persons planning to attend
should make reservations by call
ing the Mecca not later than 5
p.m. on that date. Phone No. is
6-2444.
Along
The
Waterfront
By Karl Armstrong
Things are beginning to pop
now in the matter of the Com
mie fishing pirates which moved
massively into our prime Two
Headed Island king crab fishery
during the past two weeks. As
this is being written today we
are aware that the press wire
services have become alerted to
the fast moving developments
occurring here now . .. newsmen
and photographers are enroute
to Kodiak . . . state department
officials are expected . . . Gov.
Bill Egan will arrive Monday
and rumor has it that it is even
possible that he may attempt to
personally board the command
ing vessel of the Russian pirate
fleet in some hope of negotiating
their immediate withdrawal in
the interest of conservation and
plain ordinary fair play. Thp
matter has been brought to Pres
ident Kennedy’s attention by
Lloyd Cannon, president of the
Fishermen’s Marketing Associa
tion we understand, and an ap
peal may possibly be made to
our U.N. Delegate Adlai Steven
son in hope that he will focus
world attention to this wanton
Red rape of our fishery and their
open acts of piracy of our fishing
gear.
vt
Elsewhere in this issue you will
note a story regarding acts of van
dalism, apparently by children, in
the small boat harbor. Fishermen
and sports boat owners have been
experiencing increasing thefts ol
gear and equipment as well as wan
ton destruction. The story high
lights the obvious need for 24-houi
policing protection down there
Several millions of dollars worth
of boats and gear are usually repre
sented by the vessels inside tht
(Continued on Page 4)
Russian Pirates Force Fishermen Out
Skipper Lee Andrich of the vessel Merganser points out the area
off Two-headed Island where a fleet of 14 huge Russian trawlers
and auxiliary supporting ships drove the Merganser and other Kodiak
crab boats out. On Tuesday of this week Skipper Hannes Westman
came into town with what was left of his pots and gear and reported
that Skipper Louis Wick had also picked up and was leaving what
has been a prime king crab pot fishery for Kodiak fishermen for a
number of years. “We’re wiped out if this keeps up,” Westman said.
Governor Says Russian Trawler Moves
Could Be Explosive: Calls For Action
JUNEAU (£>)—Gov. Egan urged
the U.S. State Department to con
fer immediately with Russia over
conflicts between Soviet and Amer
ican fishing operations off Kodiak
Island.
UNDER OBSERVATION
It has been widely reported,
but not confirmed, that U.S.
Navy and Coast Guard ships are
in the Two Headed Island area
where Russian trawlers have
forced American fishing vessels
from crabbing waters, on ob
servatory cruises.
The cruises apparently came
on the heel of Gov. Egan’s wire
to the State Department on
Thursday.
The Governor wired Undersec
retary of State George Ball a week
after Kodiak King Crab Boat Skip
per Lee Andrich told the Kodiak
Mirror that the presence of 14
Soviet trawlers forced him to aban
don prime crab waters 30 miles
south of Kodiak.
Hannes Westman, Kodiak, the
skipper of the 80-foot vessel “Tula”
made a similar protest this week.
Egan’s wire said: “Gravity of
problems offshore Kodiak Island
(Continued On Page 4)
FIRE AT COONS
Mayor Merrill Coon expressed
his appreciation for the quick
response of the volunteer fire
department to the fire call from
his home at 7 a.m. this morning.
The fire, which was caused by
an electrical short in the bed
room, burnt the box springs and
pillow and otherwise caused
smoke damage.
PRECINCT MEETINGS
Mill Bay, Mission Road Precinct
Kodiak City Precinct and the Base
Precinct will hold a joint Demo
cratic caucus to elect officers or
Tuesday, Oct. 16, at 8 p.m. at the
Fishermen’s Hall.
Mayor Protests
Russian Fishing
Conduct In Area
Mayor M. C. Coon of Kodiak,
Tuesday, sent a wire of protest to
Gov. William Egan of Alaska on
the conduct of Russian fishermen
in the Kodiak area.
The wire was sent after Capt.
Hannes Westman of the motor ves
sel “Tula” complained that he had
lost over $800 in gear alone and
has quit fishing.
Mayor Coon’s wire, in part, said,
“Foreign fishing fleets operating
off our shores are not showing any
respect whatsoever for our own
fishermen’s gear. They are drag
ging through our fishermen’s sets
showing no regard, taking pots and
flagged buoys in their dragging
procedures.”
Frost And Worth
Win, Voters O.K.
$630,000 !n Bonds
Kodiak voters returned incum
bents, Nick Frost and William
(Bill) Worth to the City Council
in a light vote, Tuesday, and over
whelmingly approved the sale of
city land to Alaska Ice and Storage
and two bond issues for water and
sanitation improvements.
In the council race, Frost re
ceived 148 votes, Worth 120, Jan
Beukers 101, Carl Rodli 97 and
Bryan Martin, Sr., 27.
BOND ISSl'ES PASS
The general obligation water im
provement bond issue sale in the
amount of $500,000 was approved
159 to 19, while the sanitation
project issue for $130,000 passed
by a 141 to 25 margin.
By a 231 to 26 margin, voters
approved sale of a parcel of city
owned land to Alaska Ice and Stor
age company.
Also by a decisive margin, Ko
diakans voted to draft a new city
charter by a 214 to 14 ballot and
named the following nine members
to serve on the commission to draft
the charter:
Leon Johnson 171, A1 Hoch
berger 152, Walter Kraft 150, Emil
Norton 141, Robert Hall 138,
Thomas Frost, Jr., 136, John Pat
terson 136, Russ Wright 106 and
Charles Powell 104.
A slate of 22 had been nomi
nated as charter commission can
didates.
‘Butch' Of Kraft’s
Dies In Seattle
Charles Rush or “Butch” as he
was affectionately known died at
the age of 59 in Seattle Friday
morning at 9:30 a.m. following a
major operation.
Rush had been employed for
over 20 years as manager of the
meat department at Kraft’s in Ko
diak. He also had lived in other
parts of Alaska.
He is survived by a brother,
Alex of Pondosa, Calif.
Rush’s body will be flown to Ko
diak, probably Saturday, and fu
neral services will be held here,
according to word received by Wal
ter Kraft from Rush’s brother.
— Kodiak Kapsuales --
(By BUI Mason)
better hurry up
There are two million laws in
force in the U.S. If a man could
familiarize himself with them
at the rate of 10 each day, he
could be qualified to act as a law
abiding citizen in the short space
of 6,000 years.
* * * *
A scraggly looking fisherman
was perched on a seat at a local
bistro this past Saturday watching
TV, and just as the villain pulled
i his gun and was going to shoot,
the fisherman ran out the door.
In a few minutes he returned
. and the bartender asked him if he
was afraid of gunfire.
“No ‘fraid,” said the fisherman.
“Meter man headin’ for my Cad
illac.”
* * * *
From across the continent
comes a letter from Miriam
(Casey) Angell along with her
Kodiak King Crab recipe for
five to seven hungry people and
a $5 check for the Kodiak Fish
ermens Memorial fund.
Miriam, who formerly wrote
feature stories for the Mirror,
and writes “Though we haven’t
lived in Kodiak for over a year,
as far as I’m concerned this is
just an unfortunate circum
stance.
(Continued on Page 13)