Vol. 1, No. 86
Palmer, Alaska, August 10, 1948
Ten Cents
The annual spilling of the waters of Lake George is pictured in these scenes. The event, which took place during the
- Pas* week, each year swells the waters of Knik River many feet above its normal level. The river is fed by the lake which lies
at the face of Knik Glacier. During 51 weeks of the year the lake is ice-locked at its mouth, but during the annual break-up
the waters channel their way through the glacier ice which blocks their exit and rush through narrow gorges and over rapids
* a* uPPer .rea-he.s ,of Knik River. The photo to the left is an aerial view of the ice-locked river channel. The broad expanse
of Knik Glacier is visible in the picture to the right, with the ice^ capped waters of Lake George lying before it. The broad black
strip winding down the glacier is a moraine or mound of debris which is pushed ahead of an advancing glacier. In this instance
the strip marks the meeting place of two glaciers. (Photos by Palmer Photographic Center).
Warne Plans
Valley Visit
(
William E. Warne, assistant
> secretary of 1he interior, will be
a visitor in Palmer and the Mat
anuska Valley next Wednesday,
it was learned this week. Secre
tary Warne is flying to Anchor
age on Tuesday to meet with
Governor Gruening and mem
bers of the Alaska Development
Board to confer on the Terri
tory’s housing problem.
Other members of Secretary
Warne’s party will include:
H. Rex Lee, assistant director
of the division of territories and
insular possessions, Kenneth J.
Iladow of Juneau, E. Glen Wil
der and Wendall Kay of the
Alaska Housing Authority.
After leaving the Valley on
Wednesday, the party will pro
ceed to Healy to inspect the coal
fields there. They are due in
Fairbanks on Friday and then
will make a five-day inspection
drive down the Alaska Highway.
The states officials are scheduled
to return to Washington, D. C.
Aug. 20.
Meeting Is Postponed
Because of the absence of sev
eral committee members, the in
corporation study group made no
progress on property evaluation
at last Friday’s meeting. The
\ committee had been scheduled to
n^eet at 3 o’clock in the office of
C. W. Peters. Committee chair
man W. C. Mau is expected to
call the group together in special
session some evening this week,
* 4 in order to conclude the property
evaluation.
To Go Outside
* Mr. and Mrs. Lionel Hawkin
son and their three sons, who are
} ' now residing in Anchorage, are
[ leaving for the states soon. They
’ ’plan to go first to Seattle and
then to North Dakota and Minn
esota. Mrs. Hawkinson will be
remembered as the former Esther
Larson of Palmer.
Tuberculosis Rate Here Is
3 Times Greater Than States
The incidence of tuberculosis
in Alaska is from three to four
times greater than the average
rate in the United States. This
fact has been developed from
the two-year x-ray survey of
Alaska, on which Dr. C. Earl Al
brecht. territorial commissioner
of health, recently has made a
report.
From records on the 45,000
persons x-rayed since 1946, it was
I found that an average of four
persons in every hundred of
those examined showed evidence
of tuberculosis. The average in a
similar survey in the United
States would be from one to two
persons in every hundred exam
ined.
In figures released for 19 of
Ihe territory's cilies, Palmer
and the Malanuska Valley
were found fo have fhe lowest
rate of any reported. Only 1.2
per cent of those examined in
the Valley area showed evi
dence of tuberculosis. 1,516 x
rays were made in the Valley.
Petersburg also showed the
same low percentage figure.
Highest percentage revealed in
the survey was the 23.2 figure of
Kotzebue. Bethel also was far up
Weils Have Guests
Mr. and Mrs. Emil R. Weil of
' North Platte, Neb., and Mr. and
Mrs. Alex Cox of Corpus Christi,
Tex., are visiting the Alvin Weil
family at the Experiment Station.
The visitors drove to the Terri
tory over the Alaska Highway,
arriving here after an eight-day
trip. They expect to conclude
their visit in time to sail on the
Aleutian which leaves Seward on
Sept. 9.
Breaks Her Arm
Darlene Stephanson recently
was confined to the Valley Hos
pital for several days while un
dergoing treatment for a broken
arm.
on the list with 17.3 per cent.
Surveys have been continuing
for the past two years, but Dr.
Albrecht estimates that the job
is still less than half done. Re
cent appropriations have increas
ed the personnel, equipment and
hospitals within Alaska which
are concerned with the control
of tuberculosis.
Dr. Albrecht reports that the
mass x-ray program is uncov
ering many active cases of tu
berculosis which otherwise
would have remained un
known. The survey has almost
doubled the number of cases
reported annually by physi
cians and nurses.
The x-ray units used in the
program are carried to Alaskans
by sea, air, motorcar and rail.
The motorship Hygiene serves
the coastal area from Southeast
ern Alaska to the St. Lawrence
Islands. A mobile truck unit car
ries the program to residents liv
ing along the net of highways in
the Interior. A portable unit is
carried by boat, train, truck and
plane to areas in Southeastern
Alaska, along the Railbelt, and
along the Arctic Ocean and the
Bering Sea.
Just Sew Club Meets
All members of the Just Sew
4-H Club, which is led by Mrs.
Guy Warnica, are expected to
meet with Miss Marilyn Johnson
at the Extension Office next Mon
day afternoon. Meeting time is
at 3 o’clock. Club members are
required to bring all their sewing
projects with them.
MOTHER VISITS
WASILLA—Mrs. Evan Jones,
mother of Mrs. Walter Teeland,
is planning a stateside visit soon.
She will visit her two daughters,
Mrs. Fritz Visger of Kennewick,
Wash., and Mrs. Jack Bennett of
Lincoln, Neb. Mrs. Jones expects
to leave sometime late this
month.
►
The curtain has fallen on Lake
George’s annual first night. The
climax to the natural drama,
in which the Lake and Knik Gla
cier are starred, came at about
3 o’clock last Thursday after
noon. Then flood waters reached
their peak, according to measure
ments taken from Knik River
bridge on the Anchorage-Palmer
highway.
An element of mystery was
injected into this year’s show,
for one measurement taken
Thursday morning shortly before
noon, showed a drop in the height
of the waters. Subsequent meas
urements, which were taken at
about two-hour intervals on
Thursday, proved that recession
to be only temporary for the
waters continued to rise until
later that afternoon.
Members of the U. S. Geologi
cal Survey crew and Kirk Stone
of the geography department of
the University of Wisconsin, who
conducted the measurement
tests, cannot explain the momen
tary drop. It is possible that one
measurement was faulty, they
concede. If that was not the case,
they have no explanation.
Zero hour measurements show
ed the river was still rising at
l 2:05 p.m. Thursday. The measure
ment taken at this hour was the
last to show an increase in the
height of the floodwaters. In
a measurement taken at 4:20 that
afternoon, waters had dropped
three-fourths of an inch.
The recession came even more
rapidly than the flood, accord
ing to later measurements. The
river was returning to its normal
flow at the rate of a two-foot
drop every 24 hours, according
to subsequent measurements.
This year, the first in which
any scientific measurements have
been obtained during the sea
sonal dumping of Lake George,
was uneventful, in comparison to
some in former years. Lake
George drained gradually this
year without the wholesale flood
ing of lands bordering Knik
River, which has occurred in oth
er years.
The scientists who conducted
(Continued on Back Page;
Legion Post
To Sponsor
Magician Show
Something new and different
in the way of entertainment for
Palmer is planned by the local
post of the American Legion.
Commander Jack Maze announc
ed this week. On the evening of
Aug. 21, Michael Cain, famous
magician, is to perform in the
local gymnasium.
Mr. Cain has a two-hour show
of feats of magic. He has just
completed a very successful tour
in the states. From Aug. 17 to
Aug. 20, the magician will be in
Anchorage, where he will pre
sent four shows.
Highlight of the two-hour show
is an astonishing trick in which
the magician, in three seconds,
spirits a girl assistant from a
roped and padlocked trunk on
the stage. Before the audience
the girl is locked in the trunk,
after being tied in a large bag.
The trunk is roped shut and then
placed behind a screen while
someone counts three. When the
padlocked trunk is opened, the
girl has disappeared and another
stage assistant, who has been
present on the stage during the
early preparation of the stunt, is
revealed in her place. This act
climaxes a show which has many
unusual tricks of magic.
Mr. Maze states that he be
lieves the Michael Cain show to
be the first of its kind in Palmer.
It is presented under auspices of
the Legion with the proceeds to
be earmarked for the local post’s
building fund.
Tickets for the show now are
on sale at the North Palmer
Store, Matanuska Valley Bank,
Ketchikan Spruce, and the Co-op.
Meanwhile the Legion plans
for the construction of a hall are
progressing well, according to
Mr. Maze. He said it is hoped
construction of a basement can
begin this week. The hall will be
erected on the Legion lots across
from the Matanuska Hotel.
The Legion commander prom
ised further information on the
building plans of the local post
within the next few days. Speci
fications must be approved be
fore a definite announcement of
plans can be made, he said.
New Alaskan Directory
Is On Stands Again
Palmer business establish
ments are well represented in
the recent issue of the Alaska
Business Directory, which ap
peared on the stands this week.
The Directory is an annual pub
lication issued by Tewkesbury
Publishers.
There are 14 local firms whose
places of business are pictured
in the pages of the latest guide.
Palmer is discussed in several
places, where Alaskan resources
are mentioned.
The book, in addition to much
helpful information on all phases
of Territorial life, gives a com
plete index, listed by topic, of
all business establishments in the
Territory. It also carries adver
tisements of businesses conduct
ed in Alaskan cities.
Daughter Born to Zehrungs
A baby daughter was born to
Mr. and Mrs. Carl Zehrung at
the Valley Hospital last Saturday.
The little girl weighed seven
pounds, two ounces.