Vol. 1, No. 59
Palmer, Alaska, April 21, 1948
Ten Cents
Gold Miner
Found Frozen
Beside Trail
Winter claimed another victim
iiMhe Valley last week. Edward
Casey, an employe of the Snow
bird Mine, lies in the Valley hos
pital in critical condition today,
a victim of exposure.
Mr. Casey spent last Thursday
night at Little Susitna Lodge,
starting back to the mine afoot
about 6 o’clock Friday morning.
He made his way up the trail for
^hree miles, before he apparently
fell or lay down in the snow,
which is several feet deep in that
area.
No alarm was felt at his con
tinued absence, nor did the lodge
personnel feel concern for his
safety, since several persons at
the lodge had watched him pro
ceed up the trail for two miles.
It was not until early Saturday
morning that Casey’s nearly life
less body was discovered. It was
estimated that the man had lain
for 24 to 30 hours in the snow
during last week’s record cold
weather.
He was rushed to the Valley
hospital Saturday morning,
where attendants said all his
limbs, his hands, feet, face, nose
and ears were severely frozen.
Parents, Teachers
To Conduct Forum
At P-TA Meeting
A panel of six parents and
teachers, led by moderator Harry
Wimmer, will discuss school and
home relationships at tonight’s
(r£yesday’s) Parent-Teacher As
sociation meeting at the school
lunchroom. The evening’s busi
ness, which is to include the
election of officers, begins at 8
o’clock.
Two teachers and Miss Dolores
Zeis, local public health nurse,
will explain what the school ex
pects of the home. Miss Zeis
plans to treat the question from
the health angle, while Mrs.
Darrel Frank, Palmer first-grade
teacher, will stress the home’s
preparation of the child for his
school years. Joseph Dickson,
principal of the Palmer grade
school, completes the teaching
• two of the forum.
Parents who will participate
in the discussion, which will out
line what the home expects of
the school, include Mrs. I. M.
Sandvik, Mrs. Harold Morton
and Mrs. Clayton Esslinger.
All community residents are
invited to attend this meeting.
A special invitation has been ex
i’ tended to parents who will have
§* children enrolling in the first
grade at the beginning of the
new term.
CHOPS HIS FINGER
John Zetmeir of Palmer suf
fered a serious accident last week
I while chopping wood. His ax
slipped on a downward stroke,
and Mr. Zetmeir deeply gashed
a finger of his hand, almost sev
5 ering the member.
CAPPS HAVE SON
Mr. and Mrs. Elroy Capp of
Palmer became the parents of a
son early last Saturday morning.
The baby was born at the Valley
1 nl
Alaska's Ml. McKinley peeps reluctantly through the almost eternal veiling of cloud which
shrouds its heights. America's tallest mountain, which in recent years has been scaled by the
Bradford Washburn party of mountain climbers, rarely shows its full height to aerial photog
raphers. On clear days, the peak is plainly visible to Anchorage residents, many miles away,
but close-ups from Mt. McKinley park and in aerial shots such as this are almost always hazed
with wisps of swirling mist. This photograph was taken by the Palmer Photographic Center.
Vegetable Men Will Fix
Growing Quotas Saturday
The next general meeting of
the Valley Producers, Inc., will
be held at 8 o’clock at the
Grange Hall on Saturday, April
24, it was announced today by
Glen Woods. This meeting is
most important, Mr. Woods said,
for at this time it is planned to
fix quotas for vegetable produc
tion for Army contracts.
Quota sheets have been mailed
to all present members of the
Valley Producers. These sheets
are to be filled out and returned
at the Saturday meeting, so that
the contract production can be
pro-rated immediately.
It is possible that there are
growers who are not included in
in the mailing list, Mr. Woods
said. However, it is the intention
of the Valley Producers to reach
every grower in the Matanuska
Valley and he asks that every
one interested in growing pro
duce designed for sale to the
Army attend this meeting. Those
who did not receive quota sheets
are requested to bring estimates
of the type and quantity of pro
duce they wish to grow.
“And all those growers not
now on our list hereby receive
a very special invitation to be
come a member of the Valley
Producers, Inc.,” Mr. Woods con
cluded. “We want everyone inter
ested in vegetable-growing to
join with us in order that they,
also, may take advantage of the
Army contracts negotiated by
the Association.”
Don Irwin's Home
Don L. Irwin, head of the Ag
ricultural Research Administra
tion in Alaska, returned from his
latest trip to Washington this
weekend.
Art Stacey, who has been ill
at Anchorage’s Providence hos
pital, was back at work last
wfesk.
Concert To Be
Held Thursday
The next-to-last recorded con
cert of the Music Appreciation
Club will be held in the rectory
of St. Michael’s church at 8
o’clock on Thursday evening.
Father James Snead has chosen
this program for the April musi
cale:
El Amor Brujo (The Haunt
ed Love) by Manuel de Falla,
conducted by Leopold Stokow
ski and the Hollywood Bowl
Symphony Orchestra with
Nan Merriman, mezzo-soprano.
Capriccio Italien by Tschai
kowsky with Sir Thomas
Beecham conducting the Phil
harmonic Symphony Orchestra
of New York.
Selections from the music of
Schumann, Brahms and Liszt
played by Arturo Rubinstein.
A radio play "On a Note of
Triumph" by Norman Corwin.
This as a CBS radio broadcast
commemorating the anniver
sary of V-E day with narrator
Martin Gobel.
Refreshments for the Thursday i
concert will be served by Mr.'
and Mrs. Arlo Martin.
Father Snead reminded club
members that the Anchorage
Little Symphony will present itsi
spring concert at the Valley The-c
atre under club sponsorship next (
Sunday afternoon. He urged thalf
all members of the Music Ap-1
preciation Club make special ef
fort to attend. ^
- I
To Go Outside ]
Mr. and Mrs. Sigurd Kuoppala,
and two children of Eska plan to j
leave the Valley this week tos
make their home Outside. They ‘
will fly to Seattle, and will go
from there to northern Montana
to live near Mrs. Kuoppala’s girl
hood horn®.
I. M. Sandvik Sells
24 Hospital Bonds
In Two Weeks
I. M. Sandvik, one of the 20
captains in the current hospital
bond drive, is the Valley’s top
salesman, it was revealed at last
Friday night’s meeting of cap
tains in the basement of the
Lutheran church.
Mr. Sandvik already has sold
a total of 24 bonds, and he’s not
yet through with his territory, he
reports. His return of $2,400
topped all proceeds reported at
the Friday meeting, but there
still are several captains who are
unreported.
W. C. Mau, who heads the
drive, said Friday’s check of the
campaign’s progress made him
feel most optimistic for the final
success of the campaign. He
stated it was possible that the
whole sum of $50,000 might not
be subscribed before the cam
paign ends on May 5, but he felt
sure that a sizeable sum would
be on deposit to the hospital’s
account.
Members of the hospital’s
board of directors already are
beginning to formulate plans for
the beginning of construction
early this summer.
Largest subscribers in the cur
ent campaign are William Head
f the Matanuska Hotel and
Irasser’s Hardware. Each has
iledged a $500 purchase of
ionds.
Total receipts from last
week’s spring recital, presented
>y the pupils of Mrs. Timothy
lennessey, netted the Valley
lospital Association $102.40.
lowever, Mr. Mau reported that
his figure is not final, since
some tickets and money are still
•utstanding.
Call 8 to 9*i laaflng aoticac
printed la tb*
Woman Tries
Death Leap
From Bridge
A plunge into the icy waters
of the Matanuska River from the
bridge railing, precipitated by a
lover’s quarrel, ended in no more
than a chilly ducking for an un
identified Anchorage man and
woman last Sunday evening.
The pair were returning to
Anchorage, when the woman
suddenly requested that her com
panion stop the car. He complied
and she leaped to the railing of
the bridge, then plunged into the
open water below.
The man, who is reported to
be a cook in an Anchorage res
taurant, followed to attempt a
rescue. A powerful swimmer, he
succeeded in grasping the woman
and pushing her to safety. How
ever she was so determined in
her death effort that she plunged
into the water a second time,
dragging the man with her.
The man told authorities later,
in making his statement, that
the pair spent nearly an hour in
the water or on the river shore,
while the woman fought off all
attempts to aid her. At length
her companion said he knocked
her unconscious and dragged her
back to the roadside.
The pair were rushed to the
Valley Hospital, where the wom
an was kept overnight for ob
servation. Dr. R. E. Garrett said
she was badly scratched and
bruised, but would suffer no ill
effects unless she contracted
pneumonia.
The man was given a change
of clothing, after he refused hos
pitalization, and he returned to
Anchorage Sunday evening.
Suits Involve
Local Hotel
Two separate suits, one nam
ing William Head of Anchorage
and the other William Head and
the Matanuska Hotel Corp., were
filed in district court by the
Union Bank of Anchorage this
week.
The first suit alleges that a
promissory note executed by
Mr. Head on March 2 remains
unpaid, and asks repayment with
interest plus $500 attorney’s fees.
The second action, filed against
the Matanuska Hotel, charges
that all but $993.03 of overdrafts,
which total in all $22,008.14, re
mains unpaid. The complaint
states that the overdrafts were
incurred between March 22 and
April 13 of this year. Payment in
full, plus six per cent interest
and $500 attorney’s fees, is asked.
McCutcheon & Nesbett repre
sent the Union Bank, while Dan
Cuddy is attorney for the de
fendant.
Sheila Has Birthday
Schoolmates and friends of
Sheila Hagen, daughter of Mr.
and Mrs. A1 Hagen of Palmer,
celebrated her birthday with a
theatre party last Saturday. All
school children below the sixth
grade were invited to attend the
afternoon’s movies. Ice cream
was served at the conclusion of
the show.
NEW STOCKMAN HEIR
A baby son was born to Mr.
and Mrs. Marion Stockman at
the Valley hospital late last Fri
•jprr forcing.