Vol. 1, No. 80
Palmer, Alaska, July 13, 1948
Ten Cents
Fire Engineer
Inspects Town,
Suggests Code
A. B. Carson, who is touring
Alaska to make '■ survey of the
territory’s buildings for a group
of states insurance companies,
was a Palmer visitor last Friday.
Mr. Carson visited all down-town
buildings, looked over types of
residential construction here and
inspected the Valley’s fire fight
ing equipment.
'At the conclusion of his visit,
his chief recommendation was
that Palmer should immediately
establish and enforce a civil
building code aimed at reducing
fire hazards. He was favorably
impressed by the town’s new de
velopment in the construction of
permanent buildings, and took
many pictures of the several new
concrete structures in Palmer.
Mr. Carson said many insur
' ance companies in the states con
sider Alaskan cities nothing but
“shacktowns,” and therefore are
reluctant to assume insurance
risks for the territory. Alaskan
restaurants are deemed a hazard
ous risk, in particular, he stated.
The primary purpose of his visit
is to survey the types of build
ings nowr making up Alaska’s
towns, and to study new build
ing trends in the territory. He
. *was to go to Nome after leaving
Palmer.
Mr. Carson has an extensive
background in fire prevention
asd safety work. He at one time
was safety chief and fire protec
tion engineer for a War Assets
Administration region which in
cluded eight states. During the
war he was with the Intelligence
Division of the U. S. Army Air
Force, when he was in charge
of the fire prevention in various
war plants throughout the na
tion.
U. S. Will Test
New Coal Deposits
Near Jonesville
Extensive search for a new
coal field will be conducted in
the Matanuska Valley in the
.coming fiscal year, according to
a report recently made to a
House subcommittee by Dr.
James Boyd, director of the Bu
reau of Mines. Dr. Boyd said it
was necessary to conduct tests
of Alaska’s coal reserves immedi
ately, to see whether the terri
tory has ample reserves of coal
“to meet any emergency that
Vay arise.”
v
The mine head said the Wish
bone Hill area, which he de
scribed as being located at a site
southwest of Jonesville, appears
to have substantial reserves.
Core drilling operations are to
be conducted in this field during
the coming year. Dr. Boyd said
coal deposits at Homer also are
to be investigated this year.
, It is believed that the Valley
area, if it lives up to its present
promise, could supply coal to the
entire Railbelt, in the event that
* any emergency cut off Alaska
from its coal supply from the
Alaska's mountains meet the sea on this lonely Cook Inlet beach near Iliamna. The glacier,
which flows toward the Inlet in twin streams of ice, is believed nameless. It is one of hundreds
which dot the shores and choke the mountain passes of Alaska. (Photo from Palmer Photo
graphic Center).
Co-Op Bid of $4.18
Wins Spud Contract
_
Released by
Valley Producers Association
The Valley Producers Associa
tion last week was unsuccessful
in placing a bid for an Army
potato contract. Three parties
submitted bids on the contract,
with the award going to the
Matanuska Valley Farmers Co
operating Association on a flat
bid of $4.18 per hundred. Walter
Pippcl, independent farmer who
bid only for the months of Sep
tember, October and November,
was the third bidder.
The first objective of the Val
ley Producers Association is to
obtain the highest possible return
to the farmer, its organizers
state. Before Col. L. V. Castner,
marketing agent for the Produc
ers, submitted his bid, all factors
were carefully considered in or
der that members of the group
might be assured a fair return
for their produce.
After consideration, and in ac
cordance with the expressed aim
| of Ihc best possible return to
the farmer, the Producers placed
a bid in these amounts for the
Army contract: For the months
of September, October and No
vember, $4,60 per hundred; for
December, January and Febru
ary, $5.50 per hundred; for
March. April and May, $6.00 per
hundred.
Army contract negotiators ad
mitted that these bids were be
low Seattle Market Center prices
but the Co-op bid of $4.18 was
lower still. The difference in the
price per' hundred, computed
over the entire amount, will
reach more than $30,000. This
figure represents a sacrifice to
the growers bound to the accept
ed contract, in that amount. The
bid is secured by bond.
Army specifications on the ne
gotiated contract make the grow
er’s problem still more difficult.
The contract calls for strictly un
blemished potatoes of No. 1
grade. Valley farmers say this
(Continued on back page)
Drug Store
Is Started
The new Neal Wright build
ing began to rise on the ashes of
the former structure this week.
Basement excavation was com
pleted last Saturday, and the
work of putting in forms for the
new cement structure got under
way on Monday.
Local contractors will handle
the construction according to Mr.
Wright. Chck Sandvik and Joe
Puhl are in charge of the job.
Plans for the new building
still are not ready for announce
ment, owner Wright said. He
was unwilling to disclose definite
information, aside from the fact
that a two-story concrete build
ing is planned. It will house the
drug store downstairs, as former
ly, and will have office space on
the second floor.
Mr. Wright was unable to
place a date for completion of the
structure. He said work would
be rushed with all possible speed.
Present plans call fo'r its occu
pancy sometime during the pres
ent calendar year.
Men Rout Brownie After Tussle
Two Glenn Highway home
steaders recently took on a 1,500
pound Alaskan brown bear in a
no-holds-barred wrestling match,
I and they’re alive and healthy,
telling the neighbors about it
today. As a matter of fact, they
believe an unbiased referee
would have given them the
match, for they think one lucky
shot fired by one of the men,
which bruin took squarely in
the mouth, has probably created
just another hide of that, brown
bear.
The men, Arther Craig and
Arther Merrill, both were treat
ed in the Valley Hospital after
the incident. Both are now com
pletely recovered and have re
turned to their homesteads.
The brownie vs. men main
event took place at a spot about
five miles from the Chitna road,
at Mile Post 23. The men had
hiked about five miles from the
highway to investigate some land
sites there.
Both men were armed; Craig
carried a Springfield rifle and
which he says is first cousin to
an elephant gun in size. They
had walked for some time over
the land they were inspecting,
and had seen no sign of bear in
the area.
Suddenly their huge opponent
leaped from tall grass directly
into their path. He was only 10
feet away when the men first
saw him, and he lost no time in
coming closer. The animal closed
with Craig first, slapping his
rifle from his hands and throw
ing him to the ground. For a
moment it seemed that round
was all bruin’s, for Craig’s left
arm had been badly mangled,
and his hunting knife was pinned
beneath him as he fell, so that
he was unable to protect himself
in any way.
In some manner, the man
squirmed away from the bear
and rolled to one side of the
path. The animal turned instant
ly and started for Merrill, just
a few feet away. Just as he
lunged forward, Merrill pumped
a hasty shot at the animal, which
caught h i m squarely in the
The bullet failed to stop the
huge beast, but it apparently dis
tracted him, for he plowed ahead
to bowl Merrill over and to man
gle an arm as he passed, but
he continued straight on and dis
appeared into the high grass
again.
The injured men, both of them
with badly torn left arms as well
as other claw injuries, walked
five miles to the highway where
they had parked their car. They
drove to Kenny Lake, the near
est help. Homesteaders there
gave the men first aid and they
drove on to Copper Center,
where they stopped for further
bandaging.
From Copper Center, Craig and
Merrill drove to Mile 187 on the
Glenn Highway, where the lat
ter's wife did a bit more medi
cal patching up before driving
the men to Palmer for hospital
ization.
The encounter with the brown
ie has in no wise diminished
either man’s enthusiasm for
homesteading, for they both have
Farm Market
To Be Opened
In Anchorage
A farmer’s market, available
to any farmer in the Valley, will
be opened in Anchorage this sea
son, it was announced this week
by Ed Baldwin of Alaska Seed,
Inc. The market is to be located
in Mr. Baldwin’s store at Thir
teenth avenue and I street in
Anchorage.
The entire store, or any por
tion of it, will be made available
to farmers for the establishment
of produce sales booths, Mr.
Baldwin said. There is ample
storage space for products which
can be held without refrigera
tion, and there will be cold stor
age available for those products
which must be refrigerated dur
ing the business day.
A nominal rental will be
charged for booth space in the
market. Mr. Baldwin promises
that a full half of the rental
will be spent on advertising
for the project.
Market space will be ready
whenever there is sufficient pro
duce to sell on the Anchorage
market.
Either individuals or groups
may make use of the market fa
cilities, according to its owner.
The produce handled there need
not be restricted to garden pro
ducts. It will be possible to sell
meats, poultry and dairy pro
ducts, and later any of Alaska’s
wild berries suitable for market.
Mr. Baldwin’s one restriction is
that the product offered for sale
must be locally grown.
The Alaska Seed structure of
fers ample room for booths and
for display. The structure is 16
by 44 feet, and has a full glass
front for display purposes.
Mr. Baldwin said he had called
on a number of Valley farmers
to outline his plan, and that the
idea had been enthusiastically ac
cepted by nearly everyone.
Anchorageites Are
Seriously Injured
In Auto Accident
Three Anchorage residents
were seriously injured in an au
tomobile accident on the Glenn
Highway near Eureka last Sun
day evening. Their vehicle, in
which four adults and five chil
dren were passengers, blew a
tire and overturned, rolling
down an embankment.
Dr. R. E. Garrett of the Val
ley Hospital, who gave the in
jured emergency treatment here,
said several of the car’s occu
pants narrowly missed death.
One passenger in the automobile
said he saw the vehicle roll over
a child, who had been thrown
out of the car. However none
of the children were injured.
Mr. and Mrs. John P. Rimmer
and a Mrs. Fish all suffered seri
ous neck and back injuries, the
full extent of which were un
known at press-time. They were
taken immediately to the 183rd
General Hospital at Fort Rich
ardson for a further diagnosis