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Seward Seaport Record
THE ONLY NEWSPAPER IN THE WORLD THAT GIVES A HOOT ABOUT SEWARD. ALASKA
Vol. VII, No. 71
SEWARD,
ALASKA, TUESDAY, MARCH 6, 1951
Price 10 cents
U.S. Engineers
To Quarter 509
Men In Seward
Seward will be headquarters
for a unit of U.S. Engineers,
comprising 500 men and officers
on special duty on the Peninsula,
according to an announcement j
made through the Chamber of
Commerce today.
Colonel Free and Major Slater
arrived this morning to make
arrangements for quartering the
installation, which will be on
the scene from May until Oc
tober. Unofficial information j
places the contingent here for.
the purpose of mapping the
Kenai Peninsula.
If housing is not available,
the Engineers are prepared to1
house their men in tents. They
are to be supplied through regu- j
iar commercial channels. Equip- j
ment will arrive on LST’s from '
California.
A letter from Helicopters In- j
corporated was received by the
Chamber of Commerce, request
ing housing for five pilots and
five mechanics with their wives,
who are working with the En
gineer unit.
Coming unexpectedly as this
does, on the heels of the con
struction companies demands
for housing, the Chamber of
Commerce and other local offi
cials find themselves swamped.
It was suggested that the ten
families might be absorbed by
residents who can find a way to
share their hames for the six
months period.
"Portraits in Song"
Coming Thursday
Virginia Davis, famous for
her “Portraits in Song.” will be
heard here next Thursday, Mar.
8, at 8 p.m. in the Seward Me
morial Church, as the Alaska
Music Trail artist to end the
1950-51 concert series which
has been so well received in
Alaskan cities and towns. Ac
companist for Miss Davis will
be Gwendolyn Williams, pianist,
known as one of the few top
women accompanists on the con
cert stage today.
If
M i
• Virginia Davis
Eleven sponsors, including
Sitka, Petersburg, Cordova, Pal
mer, Seward, Wrangell, Fair
banks, Anchorage, Juneau and
Ketchikan and Prince Rupert
in British Columbia, have joined
the “Trail” this first season and
others are planning to join in
1951-52.
Often called “the lady trou
bador,” Virginia Davis sings
with a beautifully trained voice
in the lyric soprano register.
Her diction in English and in
French is flawless and as an
(Turn to Page 2)
Lanier Arrested
On Grand Jury
Indictment
Eugene N. Lanier, mayor of
Seward, was arrested by Mar-:
shal Irwin Metcalf at 3:45 p.m.,1
Monday and lodged in the Fed-'
eral jail. The arrest was made
upon indictment made by the
Grand Jury in Anchorage Feb
ruary 28, 1951, charging Lanier
with obtaining money by false
pretenses.
Bail, set at $5,090, was posted
at 4:50 p.m., and Mr. Lanier re-1
turned to his job as bartender at J
the Legion Club.
He did not preside at the reg-!
ular city council meeting Mon-j
day night, reporting that he
could not find a substitute for j
him at the club.
LIBRARY CLOSED FOR
RExMODELING
Seward Community Library
is closed for two or three weeks
w'hile the room is being remod
elled and enlarged. A new' heat
ing system will be instailed^and
a room added to the present
quarters in the basement of the
Bank of Seward.
Public announcement will be I
made of the reopening of the1
library upon completion of the.
work.
Police to Destroy
Stray Dogs
Seward police were instructed
by the city council Monday,
night to proceed according to'
ordinance to rid the town of
the menace and nuisance of
stray dogs. |
Beginning Monday, March 12,
all dogs not under leash or
penned up (any dog found run
ning the streets) licensed or un
licensed, will be impounded for
24 hours. If not redeemed by
owners at the cost of $2.50,
within the 24 hour period, the
dogs will be destroyed.
Other Alaska cities are follow
I ing the same procedure, in an
attempt to halt the spread of
rabies, which has been discov
ered in Anchorage.
| Two children were bitten by
dogs in Seward last week. Al
though no rabies has been dis
covered here, precautions must
be taken to safeguard the school
children. Doga are running in
packs again, although there are
not as many as in past years,
due to a steady elimination cam
paign by the city.
WARNING: If you value your
dog, keep him off the street.
STRINGER INITIATES
15 INTO LEGION
Department Commander Har
old D. Stringer presided at the
initiation of 15 new members
of Seward Post No. 5, American
Legion, at the Legion Club Fri
day night. He spoke on the
founding of the American Le
gion.
Legionnaires and Auxiliary
turned out in force for the cere
mony and party afterwards.
About 100 were present to enjoy
the buffet dinner of ham and
turkey. Dancing took up the
remainder of the evening, with
| music furnished by Doris Smith,
Ernie Carlson, Lee Pearl and
| Hubert Vinburg.
RECRUITING STATION
HA8 NEW ADDRESS
The U. S. Navy Recruiting
Station, Seattle, Wash., was re
cently moved from the Federal
Office Building to the Apparel
Building, First & Union Streets,
Seattle. All inquiries regarding
enlistment in the Regular Navy
should be mailed to that address.
Famous ‘Loop’
Sooa Will Be
Eliminated
The magnificent Alaska Rail
road “Loot)" — the engineering
marvel that left thousands ofi
Alaskan visitors gasping in awe j
—is soon to be a landmark of
yesterday, it is reported in the
current issue of The Railbelt
Reporter, official publication of ■.
The Alaska Railroad.
The Loop winds its way from i
Mile 47.5 north to Mile 50.3 j
over five wooden bridges, j
through a 481-foot snow shed
and timbered tunnel 665 feet,
long.
Considered as Alaska's contri- j
butions lc the many eighth vron' j
ders of the world, the Loop is
long past retirement age. Money
for a general overhaul was lack-!
ing. It was costly and difficult to
maintain.
Upon getting approval for a
new location route, by-passing
the Loop, railroad engineers
this month wrote the Loop's
obituary. The line change will
slash off 1.1 miles of track with I
the roadbed following the moun-1
tains east of the present site. !
Bids for the new construction
will be sought shortly and the
project is slated for completion
this year.
While ihe grade is lo be three
per cent, slightly steeper than
the 2.4 per cen* high spots on the
present Loop, it will shorten the
running distance by 1.1 miles.
The revision calls for 2.2 miles
of new construction, but the
bridges at Miles 47.8. 48.3, 48.7,
48.8 and 50.1, along with the
snow shed at Mile 48.1, and the
tunnel at Mile 48.2, would be
eliminated.
Eight steel culverts and a
small 15-foot trestle on the new
route will meet the safe ends
as a maze of costly trestles, the
snow shed and tunnel.
The line change also elimi*
nates the need for a funnel heat
ing plant, two watchmen and
annual maintenance costs of
$o 1,600.
Railroad engineers also point
out that the location takes the
line away from dangerous snow
slide areas, which probably will
result in additional savings.
Cost of the construction pro
ject, which includes moving
some 300,000 cubic yards of
unclassified material, and in
stalling ties and 115-pound steel
rails, is expected to cost about
$1,000,000. That figure is equiv
alent, however, to the expendi
ture that would be necessary to
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LOCAL MEN HONORED BY
THE ALASKA RAILROAD
Matt Sefcrovich and Frank
Hielo, retiring from The Alaska
Railroad after 25 years of faith
ful duty, were honored last
month by the Interior Depart
ment.
Each man received a com
mendation signed by William H.
Warne, Assistant Secretary of
the Interior, an engraved bronze
medal and lapel pin, an honor
certificate and a life pass *lo all
national parks.
Matt Sefcrovich. father of
former councilman Raymond
Sefcrovich, hired on as a la
borer with maintenance-of-way
in August, 1922. He later worked
as a longshoreman and in 1335
became janitor and watchman
for operations because of health.
He retired June 30, 1950.
Frank Hielo, who lives in
Moose Pass, retired as section
foreman. He was employed off
and on from May, 1927.
Bov/ling Ace to
Put On Exhibition
Hero Friday
Val Mikiel, world famous
bowling star from Detroit, will
be here Friday for an exhibition
at Dreamland Bowl.
Miss Mikiel, who created a
sensation in the Fur Rendezvous
tournament, holds many honors
throughout the United States. In
1946 she was National Singles
champion with a score of 682.
She took the Kansas City All
Events the same year, Central
States All-Events the following
year, anci the unofficial high
series in match game play later
in 1947. She was named Woman
Bowler of the Y«~>ar in 1948 after
taking Central Stages and Luth
eran All-Events, Detroit Free
Press high average trophy, and
“700' Club trophy, the initial
presentation for highest series
rolled by “700” Club members.
In 1950 Miss Mikiel won the
Cincinnati Sweeper, and so far
this year she took the Leading
Central States Tournament All
Events with a score of 1826 and
placed third in Bowling Lanes
Classic in Chicago, scoring 1183.
Her composite average for the
last five years is 188.
The bowling star will be in
Seward all day Friday, March 9,
to give instruction in the after
noon to anyone desiring it and
to help and advise individuals
in their particular style of bowl
ing. She will have only a limited
(Turn to Page
Fingerprints Convict
Seldovia Man
Highway Patrolman George
Puckett and Deputy U. S. Mar
shal Irwin Metcalf returned
Saturday night from Homer,
where they attended U. S. Com
missioner's hearing, where Al
bert L. Lund of Seldovia was
tried and sentenced to serve
one year in the Seward Federal
Jail for the crime of “Defacing
a building not his own.”
This charge grew out of an
investigation conducted by the
Seward officers of the breaking
and entering of the Yah-Sure
Club at Homer during the early
morning hours of last Septem
ber 8, through which proprietor
Raymond Lentz had $120.00
stolen from his cash drawer.
Entry to the building was
gained by removing a large win
dow pane from a back door,
which was locked. Officer Puck
ett brought the window pane
in question to Seward, where
Deputy Metcalf dusted and pho
tographed five distinct finger
prints found on both sides and
near the edges of the window
pane. Upon further scrutiny and
investigation the latent finger
prints proved to be identical in
all five instances with prints
taken from fingers of Lund’s
right hand. This identification
from photographs was later con
firmed by letter from the Fed
eral Bureau of Investigation at
Washington, D. C. Other than
the fingerprints discovered on
the window pane, there were
no other clues whatsoever avail
able to investigating officers.
At Saturday’s hearing before
George Bishop, U. S. Commis
sioner at Homer, after Deputy
Metcalf had presented more
than thirty similar and identi
cal ridge characteristics appear
ing in the latent fingerprints
found on the window glass and
the finger prints taken of fingers
from Lund’s right hand, defend
ent Lund voluntarily admitted
before the Commissioner his
part in removing the window
pane from the back door of the
Yah-Sure Club, but disclaimed
any knowledge of the money
taken, whereupon Lund wras
found guilty and sentenced.
Sea Hawks Are
Honored At
C of C Lunch
Seward High School’s eleven
man basketball team, their two
managers, Coach Dalberg and
Carl Carlson, superintendent of
schools, were honored today by
the Seward Chamber of Com
merce at the regular noon lunch
eon in the Keaai Lounge.
President Keating introduced
Mr. Carlson, who spoke briefly
in interscholastic athletic activi
ties, chief of which is basketball.
He introduced Coach Dalderg,
who gave high praise to the boys,
who he said have, proved this
year that each and every one
of them has evidenced the po
tentialities of true leadership.
“They have in all instances,” the
coach stated, “put the team first,
ahead of all individual scores,
which is the spirit that has made
a good team.”
A little silver basketball was
presented to each of the players.
The emblems will be engraved
with the date, but they did not
arrive in time for engraving be
fore presentation.
In recognition of the interest
shown in the boys, and the fine
work of Coach Don Dalberg and
Mr. Carlson, they are each to
be given lull membership in the
Chamber of Commerce. This
was done by unanimous consent
of all members present.
The boys were presented by
Coach Daiberg. He had a little
commendatory speech for each
one. Those receiving awards
were Hay Anderson, senior and
captain of the team; three other
seniors, Dick Deigh, Bill Erwin
and Dick Van Guilder; four jun
iors, Ronnie Lewis, Don Sanders,
Pedro Denton and Chuck Van
Slyke. The two sophomores on
the team are Billy Evins and
Dale Lindsay. Mr. Dalberg paid
tribute to the two managers
who, he said, “are always the
unsung heroes on the team, tend
ing to untold numbers of details,
and making countless decisions
for the good of the team.” Bob
by Erwin and Billy Anrig, the
managers, also received the sil
ver basketball awards.
SLOT MACHINE BAN
UNIFORM POLICY
IN THIRD DIVISION
In order to clear up ary mis
understanding which might exist
in the minds of the public, Dep
uty Marshal Irwin Metcalf made
known today that the recent
banning of slot machines in
clubs and public places is part
of a uniform pclicy throughout
the entire Third Division.
Metcalf further declared that
slot machines are not in use in
any other community of the
Third Division and that slot
machi ies in clubs of neighbor
ing cities were banned some
months ago.
In compliance with such uni
form policy, the ban against
slot machines will be strictly
enforced.
MARCH 15 IS DEADLINE
FOR CITY TAXES
The second half of 1950 city
taxes are due by March 15. Aft
er that date they become delin
quent and subject to penalties.
This warning is being given
by Sigrid Stearns, city clerk.
RAINBOW GIRLS BAKE SALE
McMullen’s Store will be the
scene of the Rainbow Girls’
bake sale this Saturday, March
10 The sale will begin at 11:00
o’clock in the morning.