The Frontiersman
PUBLISHED IN THE INTERESTS OF THE MATANU6KA VALLEY
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PALMER. ALASKA. THURSDAY, JUNE 4. 1953
PRICE TEN CENTS
VOLUME 6. NUMBER 37
BIGGER, BETTER PLANS FOR VALLEY FAIR
NEW GOAL DISCOVERY i
REPORTED IN
MOOSE GREEK AREA
Warren Rice of Palmer plans
to start operations June 8, on
a new coal mine at Moose Creek,
located near the site of the earli
est coal mine in this district.
To be known as the Pioneer
Coal and Coke Company, it is
expected he will be able to fur
nish a limited amount of domestic
coal for local consumption. Other
plans include the crushing of
coal to recommended standard
size for stoker use. All coal will
be dry processed to assure maxi
mum heat value and to assure
easy handling during the coldest
of weather.
Underground mining work in
the new mine has been advanced
sufficiently to show coal of good
quality and the installation of
the loading tipple and other
machinery will be completed
shortly.
Unique feature of the Pioneer
coal is its coking property. Be
sides its long burning character
in home use, it is excellent com
mercial fuel and blacksmith coal,
according to tests.
The new mine is in the Pioneer
No. 2 seam lying under Pioneer
No. 1 which was originally mined
around World War I. The old
mine shipped some 26 thousand
tons of coal to Anchorage area
in the earlier days but the de
cline in demand and poor trans
portation facilities made it im
practable during the post-war de
pression. During recent years the
original discovery has looked less
attractive than some other local
fields, until the discovery of the
new seam by Rice.
The mine can now be reached
by turning off Glenn Highway
at the East approach to the Moose
Creek bridge for a distance of
only 800 feet and is located but
six miles from Palmer, on an all
weather road.
Truckers wil lind tne mine
easily accessible throughout the
year with easy loading and am
ple parking and turning room,
with the loading tipple located
directly across Moose Creek from
the public camp grounds.
Rice expects it will require
several months to get into suffi
cient production to supply the
local demand. He does not anti
cipate producing for military con
sumption, he said, but may at a
later date, furnish specially grad
ed coal for foundry and black
smith use.
Earl Biestlne, Dean of Mines at
the University of Alaska; Dr. W.
R. Mukherjee, department ol
chemistry and metallurgy and
John Hiskins University mining
instruotor were in the area the
past three days. One of theii
samples of this coking coal with
activities was the collection oi
their object the investigation oi
coking properties, quality, etc
This program will be undertaker
this summer at the University la
bratory.
Although' the coking propertie:
axe well known from local tests
it is not yet known whether th(
coke product would be of suffi
cient metallurgical grade for iroi
and steel manufacture. Sample
have also been sent to the Bureai
of Mines coal labratory in Pitts
burg, Pennsylvania for testing.
All reserve extent of this typ
coal will have to be determinei
by subsequent development:
Robert May, mining engineer wit
the Bureau of Mines said thi
week. He added that the Burea
is always interested in obtainin
accurate analysis of all newly dis
covered coal.
Council Meetings
ro Be Held In
Clerk’s Office
Future city council meetings,
rield each Tuesday night, will be
held in the office of the City
Clerk, instead of in the Co-Op
club room, it was decided at the
regular meeting held June 2. Act
ing City Clerk Mrs. Margaret
Cope was instructed to purchase
folding chairs that will remain in
the clerk’s office for meeting use.
Representatives of the Kellogg
Telephone Company were present
at the meeting to offer further in
formation about their type tele
phone equipment. Mrs. Sally Gor
such attended as representative
for her husband John GorsucI
who was in Chicago at that time
Also present was Charles Adams
Western Division engineer for the
Kellogg company.
Informaton presented includec
an estimated price on a board tha'
is now available. With the mair
frame, this board would cost
around $3,700. If harmonic ring
Sng was desired, it would add con
siderably to the cost, Adams said
Questioned about the feasibil
ity of plastic cable, Adams re
plied that he had very little know
ledge on that subject but offer
ed to contact his home office fo
immediate information which hi
would turn over to the telephom
committee.
Mayor Hagen announced tha
26 new subscribers have been ad
ded to the telephone system dur
ing the past DU-day period, in
creasing the income to the city b;
I approximately $160 per montl
plus installation and deposit fee;
Several applications ior ine
position of city clerk have been
received, Hagen announced and
proposed that councilmen con
sider them at the next meeting.
The position will be filled by an
appointment from the Mayor.
During the next meeting on
June 9, members of the council
will be asked to approve or dis
approve the Palmer school budget.
MAYOR TO THROW
FIRST BALL AT
LITTLE LEAGUE OPENING
Mayor Alfred V. Hagen will of
fically open the Little League
baseball season by throwing out
the first ball tonight, June 4 at
7 p.m.
Members of the Little League
teams will wear their new base
ball uniforms for the first time
tonight when two, three-inning
games will be played.
All parents, friends and other
baseball fans are invited to at
tend the games to be played at
the Little League diamond and
help root their favorites on to the
season’s first win.
GOVERNOR TO ADDRESS
ALL-ALASKA CHAMBERS
Governor B. Frank Heintzlemar
is scheduled to open the All-Alas
ka Chamber of Commerce meet
ing to be held in Cordova June 5
and 7, it was announced this
week.
Representatives of varous cham
bers will hear reports from Terri
torial Commissioner of Mines Phi
Holdsworth and from Don Good
man, president of the Alaska De
velopment Board.
In addition, representatives o:
the Kaiser Aluminum company
| who are conducting a preliminary
j inspection tour of Alaska witl
the possibility that aluminum re
duction plants will be establishec
near abundant water power sites
will address the chamber meeting
Although it is quite possibli
a member of the local Chambe
will be able to attend the meet
ing, it was voted to ask Rober
Baker of Anchorage and presi
dent of the Matanuska Valle;
Bank, to represent'the local cham
ber if someone local is not abl
to attend.
James Wilson Tells of Department Functions
James Wilson, new Commis- <
sioner of Agriculture spoke brief
ly to Chamber of Commerce mem
bers on the functions of the Terri
’ torial Department of Agriculture
’ and the activities of his office. • • •
! Set up in 1945, the Depart
ment of Agriculture was requir
| ed to handle all agricultural
3 phases. Wilson said he did not
1 believe overlapping services was
intended when the department
was created. Their present pro
- gram, he said, is (1) regulatory,
* which includes checking on seeds
• coming into the territory. It is
1 almost impossible to do a thor
s ough job in this respect, because
1 of the large areas which need
% coverage. However, he pointed
- out, agricultural areas are at pres
ent well defined. “We must also
;heck on feeds shipped in to see
;hat they are up to standard. Not
:oo much has been done in this
Dhase in the past,” Wilson said,
‘but we hope to be able to get
analysis work done on feeds as
well as seeds.” .
Our department must also pro
vide produce inspection to be
certain the merchant is getting
the number one produce he is
paying for. Army produce pur
chases the past years have be
come the backbone of agriculture,
spending possibly half a million
dollars a year on Valley produce.
Paying good prices, they expect
to get good produce. Merchants
feel the same way. They want to
get what they pay for. Grocers
handle outside produce in com
petition to that which is locally
»rown because they have found
:he produce they have purchased
nas not been up to grade, in many
instances. Our department is hop
ing to get across to the merchants
that they can get what they pay
for. In many cases our office acts
as contact for farmers to get their
produce on the market, by fur
nishing names of various markets
which are in a position to buy.
Only recently, Wilson said, we
were able to assist farmers by
furnishing information on perfor
mance bonds. It is possible for us
to assist various agencies and in
dividuals who wish to sell locally.
Another function of the depart
ment, according to Wilson, is the
loan program passed by the last
legislature, setting up a revolving
fund. Three type loans will be
provided for: Long term real es
tate loans, chattel and short tern
loans. The board has not yet beei
appointed, he said, and policie
are yet to be established. Appli
cations have already come in fror
some areas, Wilson reported.
The department budget was cu
around 20 percent this year, Wil
son said and will have but 9
thousand dollars to furnish tw
veterinarians, one full time ani
one part time produce inspectoi
on office girl and perhaps on
part time girl. “We won’t be fly
ing very high,” he said, “for ou
program will have to be limited.
Wilson explained the transfe
of his office from the FairbanP
area to the Matanuska Valley we
made because of the central Ioce
tion of this area.
WOULD ALLEVIATE
CITY DUST PROBLEM
Members of thfe Matanuska;
Valley Chamber of Commerce
voted at the meeting held
June 3 to request the City:
Council to take some immedi
ate action to alleviate the dust
problem m tne city. They
would further offer, their as
I sistance through money re
! maining in a road fund col
; lected from merchants in the
' city two years ago, providing
, approval of such an offer is
given by those merchants.
Rehabilitation Work
Starts at Echo Lake
Rehabilitation of Echo Lake
will be started June 7, accord
ing to McRae of the Department
of Fisheries.
Members of the Matanuska Val
ley Sportsmen club plan to as
sist McRae in the project, schedu
led to get under way at 10 a.m.
Sunday morning.
The lake is located approxi
mately six miles this side of Mat
anuska on the J. T. Kepler place,
! and will be restocked with fish
-] from the Fairbanks hatchery. Ap
? proximately one month will be
i required for the toxicity in the
water to clear before the restock
t, ing program can begin, McRae
- said.
The lake, which is a little under
- 30 acres in size, will probably be
i ready to fish by the Spring oi
, 1955, he said.
FAIRBANKS WOMAN
SAID FORCED TO
DRIVE AT GUN POINT
Three servicemen, apparently
AWOL from the Fairbanks area,
were taken into custody last night
at Mile 65 on the Glenn Highway
on the complaint of a 31-year-old
woman who said she had been
forced at gun point to drive the
men from Fairbanks. The vehicle
in which they were driving had
been borrowed by the woman
from a friend and is at present
in Palmer.
According to the woman’s story,
she was able to pass a note ap
pealing for help to" a truck driver
at a road house where her cap
tor had permitted her to use the
rest room. In giving pursuit to
the car, the truck driver is report
ed to have met a Highway Patrol
car which he stopped. Upon tell
ing* the patrolman of the incident,
a radio call was sent out and the
i vehicle in question was stopped at
[ Mile 65 and the occupants brought
to Palmer.
The men are in the custody ol
the FBI in Anchorage where they
were taken from Palmer last
night.
Atlasta House
Suffers $8'000 Fire
A popular Glenn Highwaj
roadhouse, the Atlasta House a
Mile 166 suffered fire losses total
ling $8,000 when a new additior
caught fire and burned the nigh
of May 28.
Four double-bed units and oni
quadruple unit plus their furnish
ings were destroyed. Owner Johi
E. White reported the loss wa:
not covered by insurance bu
. that re-building would start im
mediately.
Meanwhile, the roadhouse i
open for business as usual.
Goat Creek Inn
The Old Goat Creek Inn build
ing located at Mile 35 on ttv
Glenn Highway burned to tb
ground the nght of May 31. Fir
fighting units from Palmer—th
Civil Defense truck and the U. S
■ r orestry nre control service, neip- .
, ed fight the fire.
The inn had been unoccupied j
t far some time and officials felt j
. the fire was the work of an ar
[ sonist. Fire in brush and trees
near the inn was brought under
early control by the fire control
. service. No estimate of damage
■ was announced.
Big Delta
t A forest fire which had destroy
- ed over 3,000 acres of forest was
r raging out of control earlier this
- week near Big Delta. The th»ee
; day-old fire was being fought by
25 men, using four bulldozers.
LOCAL WOMAN
RECOMMENDED FOR
UNIVERSITY REGENT
A wire from the Matanuska
Valley Chamber of Commerce
was sent to the office of Gover
nor B. Frank Heinzleman yes
terday urgng the appointment
of V. Louise Kellogg to the
University of Alaska board of
regents. Unanimous support
was voted Miss Kellogg by the
membership.
B. of Reclamation
To Move Office
To Project Site
The entire office staff of the
Bureau of Reclamation, presently
located in the American Legion
building, will be moved, starting
June 20, to the labratory build
ing at the site of the Eklutna
Project, according to L. F. Wiley,
project engineer.
“This. is strictly an economy
move,” he said. “Although there
will be no “lay-offs,” there will
be no replacements when a vacan
cy occurs.” Our yearly lease with
the Amercan Legion will expire at
the end of June, and in accord
ance with government regula
tions, at the end of each fiscal
year, expenditures must be re
appraised. Wiley said the build
ing at the project site was intend
ed as a permanent building and
! will serve as their future office,
i and that he felt better utilization
I of workers would result from the
I move.
Work on the tunnel is progres
5 sing at a good rate, he reported.
I Tunnel workers last month ad
I vancecft2,390 feet, surpassing their
former record by more than 300
feet. Workers on the surge tank
have completed the initial break
through and have started enlarg
ing the space that when complet
ed will be 30 feet wide and nine
thousand ^eet deep.
Approximately 320 men are em
; ployed at the present time by con
tractors working on the project,
I including other personnel, 375
- persons are employed with in
creased hiring expected to reach
• another 100 persons as construc
• tion work progresses. There is a
i little less than two years work
; left on the project, Wiley stated.
II _
TRUCK BURNS
5 The city fire department an
swered a fire call June 2 at the
home of Dorothy Saxton where
■ a truck owned by Bob Bettine
? was burning. Damage to the truck
' was approximately $150 and was
' probably caused by a short cir
(< cuit, it was reported.
-1
PREMIUM AWARDS
RAISED 25% FOR
1953 VALLEY FAIR
A general increase of approxi
mately 25 percent in prize money
was approved by members of the
Matanuska Valley Fair Associa
tion board of directors at a meet
ing held June 1.
Special emphasis will be made
in the children’s departments
where some exhibit prizes have
been raised 50 percent. Increases
will be based on amount of time
and effort necessary to complete
articles on display, it was pointed
out.
Another attractive increase will
be in the Farm Display depart
ment where all entrants will re
ceive a $10 entry prize and be
eligible to compete for other large
prizes.
Livestock Pick Up
Arrangements for picking up
and delivering livestock for dis
play and prize competition are be
ing made for those who have no
other means of transporting their
stock to the fair grounds. Those
desiring this service are asked
■ to contact the superintendent of
! that department (to be named)
or a board member. All livestock
■ to be displayed must have been
I tested and vaccinated in accord
ance with Territorial regulations.
Special Features
Several special features for the
I 1953 Fair are still in the planning
; stage but Alba Brooks, associa
! tion president, said this week that
a carnival company in the States
has been contacted and that the
board feels very hopeful that
they will be able to furnish the
I Fairgoers with old favorites such
j as the Ferris wheel, merry-go
round and other special rides.
There will be horse racing,
Brooks said, in children and adult
classes. There are some young
sters in the Valley who can real
I ly ride, he added, and this wil be
! an opportunity for them to dis
play their talents. Ball games and
other sport events are on the
program as well as an expected
fireworks display.
Concessions
The kitchen concession in the
present administration building is
up for bid, Brooks said. Any
group or individual interested in
operating this concession is asked
to enter a bid as soon as possible
to the fair board. The bid amount
will be due and payable 10 days
after notification of the bid
award.
Other fairway concessions are
expected to be operated by var
ious local groups.
Another meeting of board mem
1 bers will be held next Monday
night, June 8 at the Co-Op club
room, when work on the fair
budget and completion of the
1953 Premium book will be con
ducted. All members are urged
. to attend.
J RTA APPLICATION TO
BE MAILED THIS MONTH
t
t
3
3
1
Lew Hanks, member of the Mat
anuska Rural Telephone Associa
tion, announced this week that
the association is still accepting
applications for RTA phone ser
vice, even though they have com
pleted their canvassing, prior to
sending the application to Wash
ington, D. C.
r
r
s
s
Anyone who was not contacted
during the survey, who would
like to sign up, is asked to get an
application at the M. E. A. office.
Members expect to send the appli
cation to Washington during the
third week of June, Hanks said.