WARD
The Gateway City of Interior Alaska Since 1903.
Seaport
Record
Seward’s AllAV eather Port is Alaska’s Greatest Asset.
THE ONLY NEWSPAPER IN THE WORLD THAT GIVES A HOOT ABOUT SEWARD, ALASKA
|>I. VIII, No. 14
SEWARD, ALASKA, FRIDAY, AUGUST 3, 1951
Price 10 cents
he Story of
;eward
By Jay Siauier
XIII
ward Prepares for a Long
‘prcssion
Alter the past three parts of
e Story of Seward, during
lich we became unavoidably
volvcd in the intricacies ol
nerica's national coal and
ilroad politics, perhaps it
ight be just as well to look
ck briefly, and pick up the
1 r e a d of the purely local
ents.
The story of Seward has al
ays been that of the Alaska
lilroad. Until Resurrection Bay
as chosen as the Southern
id of the Alaska Central, only
le family (the Lowells) had
ttled here permanently. The
*st party of permanent resi
sts landed on August 28, 1903,
1 a site previously surveyed
r the railroad promoters, on a
wnsite already laid out in lots
> by 100 feet, priced at $1000
;r lot. During the first year,
dock and sawmill had been
impleted, and construction of
e railroad begun. During 190o,
e Alaska Central had already
cperienced financial difficul
ps, after less than fifty miles
; track had been completed,
he purpose of the railroad was,
rst, to haul supplies to the
loming goid regions around
airbanks. But by 1900, circum
ances had intervened winch
ade it vastly more important
>r the railroad to reach the coal
nds of Matanuska and Mealy,
l the latter part of 1900 and tne
irly part of 1907, a senes of
xecutive Orders from Washing
>n had closed Alaska coal to
1 private development, thus
ealing a death blow to the plans
l the private railroad, and pul
ng the very existance of tup
oung town of Seward in the
tost extreme jeopardy.
How did the people of Seward
?act to this turn 01 events? They
jsponded in many different
rays, some seeming to eontra
ict others, resulting in a rather
anfused picture. Some, appar
ntly, refusea to believe that the
ailroad would be actually a
andoned after such vast sums
ad already been expended to
xtend the track to Turnagain
rm, over costly bridges, thru
innels blasted out of solid rock,
id over the already-famous
>op section, then regarded as
masterpiece of railroad en
ineering. Others were of the be
ef that the government ban
i private mining in Alaska was
lerely a temporary political
esture, and that it would soon
e lifted, either with or without
le efforts of the local Alaska
oliticians, who had lost no time
1 raising a considerable uproar,
till others were quite obviously
bhvious to the whole contro
ersy: business was good, and
lere was still plenty of work,
fhy worry?
Undoubtedly, the Ballaine
rothers and their financial
ackers were encouraging this
itter attitude in every possible
ray. After all, Seward was a
iriving little town, already pro
ided with advantages that few
laska settlements enjoyed.
Take for instance, the Signal
orps cable to Seward. Surely
le great White Father back
1 Washington was not going to
aend all the money to run a
able from Valdez, and open an
ffice in Seward, and then keep
ae town bottled up, so as to
ause an early failure for the
famcat enterprise?
(Continued on Page S)
WSB Approves ARR
Pay Boost Wiin
Escalator Clause
JUNEAU. ALASKA <AP) —
Andrew Hope, member of the
Territorial House, and William
R. Walton, chairman of the Alas
ka Board of Fisheries, were a
mong 31 fishermen arrested
Wednesday and charged with
illegal fishing by the Fish and
Wildlife Service. Hope was
chairman of the House Fisheries
Committee in the 1951 Legisla
ture.
Dan Ralston, law enforcement
supervisor of the Service, made
the arrests near Sitka.
He said the seines were purs
ed and full of salmon at 5:45
a. m., indicating they had been
set about an hour before. The
season was not to have opened
until 6 a. m.
Five boats in all were involv
ed Four were, charged with
fishing Tenakce Inlet before the
opening, and the fifth with fish
ing in a closed area of Rodman
Bay on Baranof Island
There were six men with Hope
and seven with Walton. Hope
is the captain of the SJS II, Wal
ton the captain of the Sea Rang
er. They were fishing for the
Pyramid Packing Co.
The men were not taken in
but allowed to keep fishing.
Monday they were represented
by a Sitka attorney and a rep
resentative of the Alaska Native
Service.
Their case was to be heard
in Commissioner's Court today.
CANADA-ALASKA
WINTER PASSENGER
SERVICE DROPPED
JUNEAU (AP) — The Canadi
an Pacific Steamship Company
is reported to be dropping pas
senger service to Alaska be
tween Nov. 10 and March 10.
The Princess Norah, the reg
ular winter ship, will go on the
Kitimat-Prinee Rupert at that
time.
Congressional delegate Bart
lett informed the Alaska Devel
opment Board the new freight
er Yukon Princess will run car
go on the abandoned passenger
route.
An official of the British Col
umbia Coast Steamship Com
pany, a CPR affiliate, is schedu
led to be here August 11 for a
further announcement.
WEDNESDAY NIGHT FIRE
SET BY CHILDREN
Two or three very young chil
dren were found to be responsi
ble for the fire in the Brown
and Hawkins Company ware
house Wednesday evening.
That it did not result in seri
ous damage, was due to the
quick action of a group of en
listed men from the 30th En
gineers Battalion. In passing the
building, they heared the crack
le of flames and tore open the
doors. They dragged the fire
into the alley where it was ex
tinguished, but several of the
men were slightly singed in the
process.
Later in the evening, two
small boys were apprehended in
the act of resetting the same
fire. Action is being taken a
gainst the parents of the chil
dren
Mr. W. E. McLaughlin is
spcnciing the summer months at
tne homestead ox ins son How
ard. Anotner son, Ricnard, is
back m Spenard after a snort
stay at tne Guicn.
Miss Ruth Schoenig, sister of
Mrs. Emil Bartoiowits, spent a
few wetKs here earlier this sum
mer.
Jack Herz.g, cousin of Mrs.
Earl Simonds, is visiting the Si
monas family at present, learn
ing the ins and outs of beach
fishing. He was recently honored
by his hosts at a weiner roast at
their iish site a lew miles south
of Clam Gulch. Guests included
Mr. and Mrs. Frank Balogh and
children, Lee Pederson, Sharon
Harmon, Janet and Douglas
Blossom, Eleanor Rose, Jerry
Gentry, and Lee and Jerry Hat
ton. Jack thinks Alaska is won
derful but will still be glad to
get home to La Canada, Calif.,
in September.
Mr. Rouen Forstner has been
working in Kenai at Libby's the
past few weeks. He expects to
ue home shortly.
We are happy to welcome
back to the vicinity two families
who spent the winter and spring
montns in Sewaro: Mr. and Mrs.
John Huey and their n_w son,
and Mr. and Mrs. Marshall Mc
Manus and their seven children.
This part of the country is grow
ing fast!
Ray Tarnow’ski made another
of his short visits to the Gulch
a few weeks ago. Mr. Tarnovvski
is employed by Ly .ie and Gren.
The Osmers are always glad
to see friends from Seward who
stop in on their way to dig clams,
fish, or whatever. Some of the
recent visitors include Gust Moe
and family, Mr. Jackson and son,
Mr. John Coleman and young
son and Mr. Pollock, Dr. and
Mrs. Francis Phillips and daugh
ters and Dr. and Mrs. Russell
Wagner and son. Denny and
Jean Thompson and children,
and Mrs. Thompson's brother
George, Mrs. Clyde Gordon and
baby. Mr. Gordon and his fish
ing partner also dropped in for
a few’ minutes on their various
trips to and from Homer.
Mr. Willie (Red) Hammersley
of Edison, Calif., is here visiting
his friend Elmer WTood. Red is
enthusiastic about Alaska and
homesteading on the Kenai.
Rex McClure spent a few days
in Anchorage on business last
week.
LUTHERAN CHURCH TO
HAVE PICTURES SUNDAY
The motion picture “The Dif
ference” will be shown at the
Seward Lutheran Church Sun
day, August 5 at 8 p. m. The
public, especially the young peo
ple, are cordially invited to at
tend. There will be no admis
sion charge.
PREDICT PRICE DECLINE
PORTLAND (AP)—A 5 to 8
per cent drop in the price of re
tail canned salmon was predict
ed yesterday by the Office of
Price Stabilization.
Officials said that announced
ceiling prices for the 1951 pack
would force the decline.
Territorial Officials
Charged With
illegal frishing
WASHINGTON (AP) — The
Wage Stabilization Board ap
proved pay increases lor about
2000 employees of the govern
ment-owned Alaska Railroad
yesterday.
It directed that the increases
be retroactive to dates ranging
from Jan. 8 to March 1.
An increase of 12 Vi per cent,
which is equal to the wage
boost recently allowed non
operating employees in the U
nited States was approved for
the non-operating unions in Alas
ka.
Engineers, conductors, fire
men, brakemen, hostlers, help
ers and others received increas
es based on the traditional Alas
ka scale. This matches Stateside
pay plus a differential of about
one fourth to cover higher liv
ing costs.
The wage board also approv
ed an escalator clause by which
wages will increase in line with
living costs .
The Alaska workers will re
ceive an increase of one and one
half cents hourly,for each rise
of one point in the consumer
p-ie- index oi the Bureau of
Laoor statistics. When the index
has risen five points, the rate
of wage increase drops to one
cent an hour.
The Department of the Interi
or, as employer of the workers,
was advised that about 200 ex
ecutives and supervisors who
were included in the wage pe
tition were not covered by to
day s action. A preliminary
check is indicated, however, that
their increases would be allow
able under the ten per cent lim
it on pay rises.
NEW CEILING SET ON
PACKED ALASKA SALMON
SEATTLE (AP) — New, low
er government ceilings on the
pr;ce of canned salmon drew
protests from salmon brokers
and packers today.
They said they objected to
prices being set before unit costs
have been determined.
The ceilings, announced in
Washington, D. C., set prices
for tails and halves at $29 and
$18 a case for reds; $25 and $15
for Cohoes; $21 and $12.50 for
pinks; $19 and $11.50 for chums;
and, in halves, $20 for Puget
Sound and Copper River sock
eye and $21 for Columbia Riv
er fancy chinook, with $1 added
for hand packing. These are
packer's prices to wholesalers.
Oil broker told the Post-In
telligencer that “the real squawk
is on the price of reds, but we
don’t think there should be any
change in ceilings until we can
check costs and know what the
runs will be. In some cases the
ceilings may even be too high.”
Phillip Cartwright, Seattle
regional price supervisor for the
Office of Price Stabilization,
said the ceilings were establish
ed now because catches are be
ing sold.
“The new regulation is tail
ored to fit the Salmon Industry,”
he said. “Prices will be adjusted
later if they need to be.”
Cartwright said the prices
were established “across the
board” on the basis of 1949
prices, with adjustments for
rising labor and material costs.
U. N. Advance Headquarters,
Korea (AP) — The Allies today
pointedly reminded the Reds that
United Nations warplanes and
ships range at will far north of
the Korean battlefront and must
be taken into account setting
up any cease-fire buffer zone
across the peninsula.
An authoritative source said
the TJ. N. envoys emphasized
this virtually unchallenged Air
and Naval might during the
deadlocked armistice negotia
tions at Kaesong.
The Communists have been in
sisting on a cease-fire buffer
zone straddling Parallel 33. The
U. N. demands a dividing line
generally following the present
front, which extends diagonally,
from south of 38 in the West,
into North Korea for as much
as 35 miles.
So, in effect, the Allies told
the Reds today not to forget
that the ground line is not the
only battle front—that the war
can, and is, daiiy being carried
to the Reds as far north as the
Yaklu River boundary between
North Korea and Red Manchuria.
When Allied negotiators used
this lever in Friday's two hour
and 35 minute session, a U. N.
spokesman said. Gen. Nam II
grudgingly admitted that the
superior United Nations Air
Power had influenced Commun
ist ground action.
However, the chief Red dele
gate did not weaken his demand
for a cease-fire line along the
38th Parallel.
The sessions ended with the
two delegations still unable to
agree on where to create a buffer
zone. They take up the same
subject for the tenth time in
Saturday's session, set for 11
a. m. (6 p. m. Friday PDT.)
IRREPRESSIBLE FLYER
STUCK AGAIN
FRESNO (AP) — It’s consid
erable flying distance from the
top of Washington’s Mt. Ranier
to the Fresno jail, but John .
Hodgkin has now landed in or
on both.
Hodgkin, a 42-year-old Air
Force Reserve Lieutenant, be
came famous last April when he
landed his Piper Cub plane atop
the 14,408-foot peak and got
stuck there.
He landed in jail last night
after sideslipping his plane into
Fresno's Mayfair residential dis
trict.
Hodgkin got out of jail after
posting $100 bail, but his plane
is still stuck.
Asked why he did it. Hodgkin
told Bryant he wanted to visit
his girl friend who lives across
the street from where he landed.
DEER MEAT ON FISH BOAT
BRINGS ARREST
PETERSBURG (AP) — The
Fish and Wildlife Service made
its first arrest of the salmon
season in these waters yester
day
But—it wasn't for salmon. A
fish boat had deer meat aboard.
Wildlife agents Hosea Sarber
and Doyle Chisney nabbed the
seine boat Nancy Rose, regis
tered out of Gig Harbor, Wash.
The Nancy Rose was enroute to
Puget Sound from Prince Wil
liam Sound when apprehended.
A fine of $625 and costs was
levied colletivelv against Skip
per Nick Tarabochia, C. B.
Johnston, Nick Karzua, A. J.
Arney, Bob Van Rooser, Don
Izett, Konrad Peterson, Jack
Collins and Ivar Stenli.