Seward Seaport Recora
Published each Tuesday and Friday
Seward, Alaska
John M. Coleman
Mildred Kirkpatrick
Editor and Publisher
Managing Editor
Subscription Rates
Editorial—
We are so used to hearing
newcomers rave about the scen
ery here and saying polite words
about Seward, that it is star
tling to hear a person say frank
ly that he finds Seward the
ugliest town he has been in!
The person who makes this
blunt statement is new here—
new enough to still sec things
as most newcomers see them and
not to be complacent about dila
pidated buildings, rubbish lit
tered vacant lots, and poorly
cleaned sidewalks.
We who have lived here for
some time and who love the
town look proudly at the new
modern buildings, at the stores
with shining windows and nice
displays, and at the sections of
the sidewalks where they have
been neatly cleaned. But the
newcomer doesn't look with our
special viewpoint. He sees every
thing, and he doesn’t ignore the
dirt and sloppiness as many of
us have trained ourselves to do.
The man who sees Seward
as ugly—he compares it to a
gob of mud in a Tiffany setting
—plans to live here. His family
is coming here. He wants his
children to grow up in a nice
town.
Appearances may not be
everything—but they sure help.
To be sure, this man is not
seeing Seward at its best by see
ing it now. A blanket of new
snow hides many of the faults
that show up so glaringly as the
snow goes. Summertime, green
grass, and bright flowers help
take the curse from unpainted
houses and hide broken beer
bottles that are strewn in the
vacant lots.
But even in summer, have
you noticed how few are the
places that are identified with
the folio w i n g descriptions—
“That's the place with the love
ly flowers"—"Its one of the
few houses in town with a nice
lawn”—'The cute newly paint
ed house in the middle of the
block"—or “That neat place
with the picket fence.”
Paved streets and paved side
walks are nice. They are also
expensive and take red tape,
city action, federal action, and
what not. Seward will have
paved streets and paved side
walks one of these days. But
paved streets and sidewalks still
won't make Seward beautiful as
long as the sidewalks aren't
cleaned by the individual prop
erty owners, as long as the
buildings alongside the streets
and sidewalks are allowed by
the individual owners and occu
pants to become ramshackle and
dirty, and as long as the individ
ual people of Seward loss cans,
bottles, and paper into the gut
ters and vacant lots and often
clutter up their own premises
with assorted trash.
Paint itself isn't very ex
75 cents per mo.; $8 per year.
pensive. The time and trouble
of applying it where it will do
the most good seems to be be
yond many building owners.
Some building owners say that
the buildings aren’t worth re
painting. Maybe so, maybe not.
but the improvement to the
town is. And the owners might
be surprised to find then that
the building is worth more than
they thought. Or, if a building
honestly isn't worth repainting,
it isn’t worth a n y t h i n g and
should be razed.
It isn't pleasant to know that
Seward, gateway to interior Al
aska; Seward, with the most
beautiful setting in Alaska; Sew
ard, with one of the best and
most scenic harbors in the
world; is also Seward, “the ug
liest town I have seen.”
SS DIAMOND CEMENT
CHARTERED TO A.S.C.
Charter of the steamer Dia
mond Cement by the Alaska
Steamship Company for service
in the Alaska trade was an
nounced this week by F. A.
Zeusler, executive assistant to
the president of the company.
The charter is on a bareboat
basis for a four-month period
between the Alaska Line and
the Permanente Steamship Com
pany, Olympic Steamship Com
pany acting as owner’s agent.
“The vessel was taken out of
layup at Houghton on April fi
and we expect to place her on
loading berth Tuesday, April
10 for an April 14 voyage to
Seward, Alaska,” Zeusler said.
Zeusler further pointed out
that the Diamond Cement is be
ing employed in line with the
company’s policy to a 1 w a y s
maintain adequate tonnage in
service to properly handle the
traffic in trade.
This is not the first time the
Diamond Cement has served the
Alaska Steamship Company. It
was under charter to this com
pany for a period during 1949.
STANDARD OIL CO. BUILDS
AT MOOSE PASS
The Standard Oil Company is
building a small station at Moose
Pass, according to W. C. Erwin,
manager of the Standard Oil
Co. at Seward. The materials
for the station are already on the
site and four storage tanks, with
20.000 gallon capacity each, are
expected on the next Coastwise
freighter. Two of the tanks will
handle gasoline products and
two will contain burner oil or
diesel oil. It is anticipated that
the station will be in operation
within ten days.
The Seward office of the Fish
and Wildlife Service has sealed
42 beaver pelts so far this sea
son, according to Carlos Carson,
enforcement agent. lie estimates
that about the same number
has been sealed by the Kenai
office.
Alaska Rails'oad
Winter Train Service
NOW IN EFFECT
Seward - Anchorage
TUESDAY - SATURDAY MONDAY - FRIDAY
Lv. Seward .8:30 A.M. Lv. Anchorage ...1:30 P.M.
Ar. Anchorage ...1:00 P.M. Ar. Seward .6:00 P.M.
A Boat Train is arranged on Thursday in accordance
with the arrival of the passenger vessel.
Service Daily except Sunday from Anchorage to
Jonesville and Whittier.
For Information Phone Seward Agent
MAIN 153
<j-26
<Copr. lyil, Kinj; Fearyre, Syndicate. Inc., World fights mcrv
'Be careful not to fall, dear, but if you do, look to tha
right. You get a wonderful view."
NEWCOMERS ANTICIPATE
SUMMER HERE
Mr. and Mrs. Johnny Goos of
Seattle are the butchers who
took over the meat department
in Seward Trading Company
April 1. This is their first time
in Seward although they have
lived and worked in southeast
ern Alaska in both Juneau and
Elfin Cove. Previous to that,
they had their own market and
grocery in Everett, Washington,
for 23 years.
Mrs. Goos is homesick for the
sight of green grass and flowers
but expects to feel more at home
as summer approaches. Mr. Goos
is already pleased with Seward
and the ar a and looking for
ward to seeing more of the Ke
nai Peninsula. The newcomers
are living in the Stanton Apts.
STORK SHOWER FOR
MRS. JOHN OFFIELD
Mrs. John Off mid was the
guest of honor at a baby shower
given at the home of Mrs. Archie
Leslie Wednesday evening, April
4. Mrs. Jack Huntley and Mrs.
Leslie, hostesses, and 18 guests
enjoyed with Mrs. Offield the
games and refreshments, and the
opening of the gifts for the
coming arrival.
The guests all made guesses
as to the baby’s weight and sex,
and composed them in the form
of telegrams which Mrs. Offield
will read in the hospital.
The staff at the Seward Gen
eral Hosuitnl is getting a breath
ing spell for a moment since
most of the flu cases and many
of the other patients suffering
from assorted ailments, hav re
covered and gone home. There
aren't even any brand new
babies there at the moment.
Mrs. Leon Urbach suffered
a broken arm in a fall at her
home last week.
The last notice of delinquent
:ax payers (on real property)
las now been published and the
list will go to court about April
13, according to Sigrid Stearns,
:ity clerk.
PASSENGER SERVICE
from Seward
SS BARANOF
Thur., Apr. 12
Sitka
Juneau
Ketchikan
Seattle
SS DENALI
Thur.. Apr. 19
Cordova
Juneau
Petersburg
Wrangell
Ketchikan
Seattle
FREIGHTER SERVICE
from Seattle
DIAMOND CEMENT
Aoril 14
Seward, Whittier
COASTAL MONARCH
April 16
Sitka. Seward, Valdez
SS VICTORIA
April 17
Seward
For Information
PHONE MAIN 125
STEAMSHIP COMPANY
REGULAR DELIVERIES or AT YOUR GROCER'S
SWARD DAIRY
Phone GARFIELD 50
Meets 2nd and 41h Mondays
I.O.O.F. Hall - Adams Si.
N. G.. Art McKeough
V. G., George Kipsgard
Sec., Tom Jones
SEWARD POST
No. 5
Meets
lst-3rd Wed. of Mont
Legion Log Cabin
SEWARD
B. P. O. ELKS
Meet 2nd & 4th Wed. of Mont
OPEN DAILY 5:00 P. M. j
United Brotherhood of
CARPENTERS and JOINERS
Seward Carpenters' Union 2304
Meetings at Lutheran Church
Affiliated With A. F. of L
Meeting 2nd Tuesday of Month
W. C. Knaak — President
R. M. Bevan - Fin.-Sec. & Bus. A*i
International Longshoremen's
and Warehousemen's Union
Local 39
Meets First Tuesday of Each Mon
7 p.m. — Union Hall
President — John Rose
Westinghouse
SALES & SERVICE
Ranges - Refrigerators
Automatic Washers
Driers - Water Heaters
Home Freezers
Dodge Electric Co.
Phone Adams 137
Telephone Polk 166
McRae Concrete
Products
Box 621
SEWARD, ALASKA
___
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