Seward
The Gateway City of Interior Alaska Since 1903.
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Seward’s All-IT eather Port is Alaska's Create A Asset.
THE ONLY NEWSPAPER IN THE WORLD THAT GIVES A HOOT ABOUT SEWARD. ALASKA
SEWARD, ALASKA, FRIDAY, APRIL 24, 1953
Price 10 Cents
Vol. IX, No. 43
ARR Warns Against Children
Playing In Freight Yards
An appeal was issued by The
Alaska Railroad this week ask
ing civic groups and parents of
Seward to cooperate in keeping
children from the dangerous
railroad yards and docks here.
A railroad official declared
that a serious problem now
exists in keeping unauthorized
people out of the railroad re
serve. A number of near acci
dents. involving children, were
reported.
One small boy was recently
knocked down by a freight car
being switched in the yards.
Fortunately, the train wheels
did not strike the youth. Other
children are reported to be
playing marbles in the middle
of the tracks and one boy was
locked in a box car by older
youths.
“These incidents could well
end in tragedy for some Seward
family,” a railroad man said.
“The Alaska Railroad needs the
coopertion of your police force,
community groups and parents.”
Children are also requested
to stay clear of the railroad and
Army docks. Fishing from the
dock approach, or the main
structure, is not only dangerous,
but against the law. The docks
are subject to heavy traffic by
rail cars, jitneys and trucks.
Several reports also have
come to the railroad involving
children -vho removed railroad
property from the dock. Two
boys removed plumber supplies.
The railroad is now facing
its busy season, which means
there will be intensified traffic
in the terminal yards. While
conductors and enginemen are
being careful in their switching
operations, children in the yards
present a hazard and the re
sults could be a serious accident.
Play Practices Head
From The Seward's Folly
“A 11 right, people, quiet
down!” is the main cue used at
play practices. "What's my next
line? Don’t tell me!” are also
much used phrases.
Carol Ann is on the stage
giving it all she's got—“Mother”
Ruthie is desperately trying to
remember what her next line
is, and “Nervous” Les is pacing
up and down back stage. Gene
Boe wanders in and Mrs. Cam
pen tries in vain to motion him
off. “No! No! You’re not on yet.
Let’s start this act all over.”
Everyone breathes a sigh of
relief as the last line of the act
is said and the curtain rings
down. The parting words arc
“Know your parts next time:
we have only a few practices
left.”
“We Shook the Family Tree"
is quite an appropriate name
for the characters who have
been chosen to act in the play.
It is scheduled to be seen around
the first of May. Fortunately,
progress is being made at every
rehearsal. It should prove to be
a very entertaining play and
will provide the audience with
an evening of laughter.
Some of the practices are
held at night in the gymnasium
and some are held during school
hours. Any way you look at it,
it is a miracle how some plays
ever get in shape for the public.
Boys Cause Damage
In Post Office
Damage to government prop
erty is a serious offense and
punishable by heavy fines and
imprisonment. The fact that the
offender is a juvenile does not
relieve his parents of responsi
bility for the conduct of a child.
This warning was issued re
cently by authorities in connec
tion with damage to the walls
and floors in the post office.
Postmaster Clarence Larson
states that the boys who threw
ink about the walls, on the
floor, and damaged signs, post
ers and public notices, are
known to the police.
Complaints of lost mail have
been traced to boys tampering
with mail boxes. If this is not
sloped immediately, the post
master says, the only solution
will be to lock the building at
five o'clock and keep it closed
until opening time at 9 am.
This would impose a definite
inconvenience on the public.
Loitering in the post office
is in itself an offense, but tam
pering with mail boxes is seri
ous. Parents are urged to warn
children against this practice.
Annexation Wins By
Overwhelming Vote
Only 119 of the more than
700 eligible property owners
voted in the annexation election
last Tuesday, but the over
whelming majority of that num
ber voted in favor of the propo
sition. This was taken to be a
sample of general opinion on
the subject. There were only 8
ballots in opposition to the
proposition.
Bayview School now becomes
part of the Seward School sys
tem. The building will be reno
vated during the summer and
made ready for use for the next
semester of school.
C. of C. Asks 24 Hour
A.C.S. Service
“It does not seem right,"
Tommy Bie stated at the Cham
ber of Commerce meeting Tues
day, “that Seward, the largest
port in Alaska, should be de
prived of adequate communica
tions and long distance tele
phone.” He asked the members
to work with him through pro
per channels to try to remedy
the situation.
The Alaska Communications
System office is closed from a
p.m. to 8 a.m. weekdays, with
two hours of service on Sundays
and holidays. This is the policy
of the system and entirely out
side the control of local officers.
Any change in hours must come
from headquarters.
Because of the hours main
tained and the local telephone
situation, Seward is completely
isolated for long distance com
munications from 5 p.m. to 8 the
next morning, except for cases
of serious emergency. Even then,
the call must go collect or on an
established account with the
local A.C.S. office. The situation
is serious, and we must take
steps to change it, according
to Bie and other businessmen.
Governor to Arrive
Saturday by Plane
Governor B. Frank Heintzle
man is scheduled to arrive in
Seward Saturday, April 25, on
the morning plane. The Mayor
and Republican officials will
meet the plane and escort the
Governor into town. He will be
taken on a tour after lunch,
possibly making a visit to the
Sanatorium.
A Republican Club dinner
will honor the Governor at 6
o'clock in the Methodist Church
dining hall. The dinner will be
followed by a public reception
in tile Civic Center, at which
Governor Heintzleman will
make an address. Residents of
tlie Peninsula have been invited
and are planning to come from
as far as Homer and Kenai.
Refreshments will be served
after the speech, thus giving
everyone a chance to meet Mr.
Heintzleman. He will leave Sew
ard Sunday morning by plane.
City Mgr. Petition
To Be Presented To
City Council
Petitions for a change of gov
ernment to tlie city manager
council plan will be presented
at the next session of the city
council. It would have been act
ed upon at the last meeting, but
the meeting was postponed for
lack of quorum.
Mayor Painter states that it
will be discussed and a date set,
alter which 30 days notice must
be given before election is held.
Telephone Rates To
Go Up 'Regardless'
Mayor Russell Painter stated
Tuesday that he has been ad
vised by Alaska Telephone Cor
poration of a telephone rate
raise in Seward regardless of
the denial by the Council of the
company’s petition earlier in the
year.
This information has been
placed in the hands of the city
attorney, the Mayor stated, to
see what can be done. “It may
be possible,” Mr. Painter said,
"that we will have to ask the
people to bear with us a while
with curtailed service until we
can get this thing straightened
out.”
Wm. H. Seward's
Descendant Here
Mr. Joseph G. Seward, great
grand nephew of Wm. H. Sew
ard, purchaser of Alaska for the
United States in 1867, arrived in
Seward Wednesday with a ship
ment of helicopters. The 'cop
ters belong to the Rotor Aids
Co., of Ventura, Calif., and are
being shipped to the Westward
for survey.
The four machines W'ere flown
off the dock Friday afternoon,
fueled at the airport and took
off for Anchorage.
Mr. Seward did not have much
time to sec the town which was
named, for his illustrious rela
tive, but he was met by several
businessmen and made welcome.
He may stop over again on his
return trip in the fall.
Perry Stockton is in Fair
banks on a special job for the
railroad.
PRACTICING FOR THE TRIP—Though they hardly will
need to thumb a ride to Sev/ard, Alaska, these Seward, Nebraska,
youths practice just in case. They are (from left): Standing—Delmar
Peters, Dick Cooley, Ray Sloup, Jim Griffin, Edwin Schultz, and Jim
Hille: kneeling—Neil Rucksdashtl, Lloyd Schultz and Bill Rohren.
SEWAKD, IN t,tSKASK.A—Un
May 24 a big bus is going to
pull out of Seward, Nebraska,
headed for Seward, Alaska. On
it will be the Seward basketball
team. Coach Ralph Bowmaster,
and ten citizens of Seward who
also wish to make the trip. With
two drivers operating in shifts,
they plan to arrive in Seward,
Alaska, an June first.
During the week’s stay in
Seward, Alaska, there will be
three basketball games — the
winner to receive an ivory tusk
properly inscribed —- a softball
contest, a bowling match and
a deep sea fishing trip. Banquets
will be held for the group by
the Seward Chamber of Com
merce, the Elks, the Lions, and
the Episcopal Church. Other en
t( rtainment will be furnished
by the Business and Professional
Women, the Woman’s Club, the
Methodist Church, the Masons,
The American Legion, the
Square Dance Qlub, the High
School Pep Club, and just about
ever y other organization in
town.
Besides the official group ar
riving by bus, a number of other
folks from Seward, Nebraska,
plan to take the trip at the same
time, either by car with the
group, or by plane or boat.
Thus far practically every
newspaper from coast to coast
Nineteen Complete
First Aid Class
Nineteen people passed First
Aid tests in the first class to
finish the Standard course. The
class was instructed by Jim
Kirkpatrick in preparation for
the new Volunteer Ambulance
Corps activities.
Mr. Kirkpatrick also reports
that the ambulance is now ready
to roll although the paint job
is not quite dry and the Corps
initials still must be applied to
the vehicle. This group has been
busy as bees since it was or
ganized.
PAINTING CLEANED
The beautiful painting back
of the altar in the Episcopal
Church was cleaned before be
ing replaced last week. This is
the first time in many years that
the. painting has been cleaned,
and it is now doubly beautiful.
anct stars ana stripes tine Army
publication) has carried the
story while two major T.V. pro
grams have helped to promote
the idea. It is in the plans too
to have a photographer from
one of the large weekly maga
zines make the trip with the
boys.
This isn't just a spur of the
moment idea, but something
that has been in the planning
for two years. Las! summer Mr.
Harold Davisson of Seward, Ne
braska, took his family over the
Alaska Highway to Seward, Al
aska, just to see what the prob
1 ms involved would be. Then
the various committees went to
work back home to raise the
money. There have been no do
nations. The boys have had to
help earn the money by having
square dances, bowling tourna
ments, benefit movies with a
queen elected, All American
Redhead Basketball game, Hill
Billy Skating Party, Amateur
Show, etc.
Meanwhile the folks in Sew
ard. Alaska, have been busy
too They have the task of seeing
to it that this series is carried
on. Plans now call for the Sew
ard. Alaska, team to invade Ne
braska sometime next year by
charter nlane. This is a vast ex
periment in “good neighborli
ness" which should bring a lot
of folks closer together.
FIRE AT URBACH'S STORE
WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON
The first fire alarm in many
weeks called volunteer firemen
to Urbach's store Wednesday
afternoon. It took several min
utes to trace the cause of smoke,
but it was located in the ceiling
of the back room.
Defective wire was found
smoldering after removal of a
section of wall and ceiling.
Little damage was reported ex
cept that caused in removing
of the wall sections.
HAVE YOU WRITTEN
YOUR LETTER?
Sewardites are reminded that
a special secretary has been em
ployed to write your letters to
Congress on the Seward dock,
railroad and school situations.
Ail you need do is dictate the
letter and sign it. The secretary
will mail it to the proper places.
Help Seward. Send your let
ters—it will cost you nothing.
HIGH
SCHOOL
AUDITORIUM
SEWARD HIGH SCHOOL JUNIOR CLASS PLAY
MAY 1 and 2
8:00 O'CLOCK P.M.
Admission: $1.00
/
"WE SHOOK THE FAMILY TREE"