EWARD
The Gateway City of Interior Alaska Since 1903.
Seaport
Record
Sezvard's All-IPeather Pori is Alaskcts Greatest Asset.
THE ONLY NEWSPAPER IN THE WORLD THAT GIVES A HOOT ABOUT SEWARD, ALASKA
ll. VIII, No. 8
SEWARD, ALASKA FRIDAY, JULY 20, 1951
Price 10 cents
be Story of
EWARD
By Jay Sfaufer
(XII continued)
he Great Coal Controversy
Perhaps it's a little hard for
in mid-century, to imagine
: tremendous importance of
il some 40 or 50 years ago.
ere were no oil burning en
les, period. Steamers burned
il; factories, mines, canneries,
?n sawmills used coal as the
in source of power. * Except
a few wood-burning river
Us, transportation depended
coal. Wood was practical to
t for heat only in the smallest
ellings or the tiniest stores,
al was the number one logisti
problem of Alaska develop
mt, since every steamer to
i Territory had to carry
Dugh coal for the trip both
ys, and usually, a major
ire of the cargo to be ths
irged was coal also. Naval
other vessels stationed for a
*iod of time in Alaska had to
re their coal sent up to them,
tally by the sack, from Puget
and and British Columbia
ties. Moreover, certain places
e Nome had no source of
ural fuel whatever, either
od or coal, and had to import
?ry speck of their fuel for
.ver, light, and heat; from
nts nearly 3.Out) miles away.
*Tet, almost everyone knew
t there really was coal in
iska . . . plenty of it. The
ch was a two-way dilemma:
deposits on the easily acces
le coastal points were unsuit
e for steam boilers, while
better coals of the Interior
■ded a railroad to carry them
^nd that's where Seward fin
y returns to the story. The
iska Central Railroad, intemi
first to carry supplies to the
d fields of the Tanana, now
ame even more important be
se it was learned that the
jccted route passed right
ough the finest and J^rgest
1 deposits in Alaska, at Mata
ika, and near Healy.
’he only trouble with these
roveries was that they were
big, too vast m importance,
ile Ballaine and his succes
> had hoped, even expected,
t enough coal would be avaii
e along the route to provide
the needs of the railroad it
, and perhaps an additional
ply to sell to the small Aias
i market, they were totally un
pared to handle the economi
implications of millions of
; looming almost within their
>p. For it actually seemed at
time that the Susitna Valley
osits might dominate the
ific Coast coal market,
he reason for this can be bet
understood today than it was
< in the early 19U0's. It's no
>rise to us that Alaska is
rer to Japan or the Phil
les or Hawaii, than are the
.s of San Francisco, Seattle,
Hand, or even Vancouver,
. Applying the principle of
Great Circle to Pacific
an transportation, tiny Sew
Alaska, might easily be
e the greatest port on the
ific ... if. IF we could de
r the necessary coal! The
ness of the U S Pacific fleet
e was big enough to make
multi-millionaires of the
who could supply coal to
Navy at some nearer point
i Puget Sound or California.
Ihapter XII, The Great Coal
troversy, will be continued
Friday.)
t
(By Carolyn Turkingion)
Mrs. Henry Anderson of Sel
dovia was flown to Anchorage
July 12th for emergency medi
cal treatment.
Rev. Cecil M. Wyant, Metho
dist Church Minister held serv
ices Sunday at 11:00 A. M. at
the American Legion Hall. The
Revcrand and his family recent
ly moved to Homer.
Richard Blue who has been
in charge of the Homer office
of the Extension Service, left
for Palmer where he was re
assigned. A replacement for Mr.
Blue is expected soon. Mrs.
Blue and young son will join
her husband at their new home
in August.
Alaska Air pilot Tex Hicker
son has been on call several
times in the past week to carry
fire fighters and equipment to
the scene of fires at Moose Riv
er and Lake Ciark near Illiam
na.
Don Anderson, Hd Cobb, and
Alai a. Markowitz. ox Homer as
sisted in tire ngming at Moose
Kiver. Tile men ieit Sunday
evening and arrived back in
Homer Wednesday evening.
Oison and Graves, Seward
contractors, were awarded low
bid ror tne construction 01 a
new addition to tne Homer
School. Tms iniormation was
received by Don amitn irom
bai.ani It. Wilson, District Di
rector ot Alaska ruu.K: works.
Hyman Graves saM work
would begin on tile senooi buud
mg as soon as iiit».eriais couid
be secured.
Mrs. George Lawney and Miss
Evelyn Miller leu la.?; wtcx lo
v.orK at the Snug xiaioor la-i
nery.
The KachernaK Bay Fair As
sociation ntiu a meeting to
make this years fair tne best
yet. They have a ictier in tne
making which will ue mailed
to every boxholder on the Ke
nai Peninsula giving aa lacts
in connection wan tne displays
and booths. Eet a ail get to
gether and make the iair a suc
cess.
Visiting with Mr. and Mrs.
Vern Mutch is Mrs. Mu ten's
mother, Mrs. H. P. Kraus of
Lansing Mich. Mrs. Kraus plans
to be in Homer lor a month or
two.
Mrs. Tex Noey and son Steve
are vacationing at tne Fred
Cowgill home. They are from
Anchorage where Mr. Noey is
in the insurance business.
Newsomers to Homer are Mr.
and Mrs. Fredrick Whitniy of
Los Angeles, California. They
are the parents ol Mrs. Dana
Newman. Mr. and Mrs. Whitney
will make their home here. Mr.
Whitney was recently associated
with Howard Hughes.
Ira Lossy, Kenai Peninsula
salesman, brought with him as
a visitor last week, Mrs. Kay
Barger of Anchorage. This is
Mrs. Barger's first visit to Hom
er. Upon leaving here they
drove to Seward where Mrs.
Barger will visit with Mr. and
Mrs. Losey.
Bill Ferguson, partner at the
Kachemak Bar, returned to Hom
er last week with his new
bride, the former Abbie Svara
of Los Angeles, California. The
couple will make their home
in Homer.
(Turn to Page 4)
Peace Ta
Postponed
r
By Robert Eunson
MUNSAN, KOREA (AP)—The
Korean armistice talks, focus of
world hopes for peace, took a
back seat today to the weather.
A flash flood turned a creek
10 miles sculh ct the Kaesong
conference site inio a raging
torreni and barred Jeeps car
ying United Nations delega
tions to the truce city.
Twenty newsmen and service
personnel crossed the stream
earlier and reached Kaesong.
Tiny returned by late after
noon.
Bad weather also grounded
the helicopters in which U.N.
delegates usually travel the 14
airline miles to Kaesong.
The eigth session between
U.N. and Communist teams—
generally regarded as crucial
in this tirst phase of the peace
talks—was postponed until
10 a.m. tomorrow (5 p.m.. PDT
Friday).
A single major issue bars
agreement on an agenda ^vhich
would permit the armistice talks
to move into the second phase.
While there has been offi
cial silence at the U.N. ad
vance camp here, both Com
munist and high United States
sources have made clear that
the knot was tied by Red de
mands for withdrawal of ail
foreign troops from Korea.
Communist radios in Pyong
yang. the Red Korean capital,
Peiping and Moscow have
dinned this theme.
Ffcod Dcroage Mounts
!n St. Louis
ST. LOUIS (AP) — The un
tamable Missouri River headed
toward a crest near its juncture
with tiie swollen Mississippi to
day, crumbling protecting lev
ees in its drive toward St. Louis.
Army engineers predicted that
all dikes at the confluence of
the two great rivers would be
swept away within the next
48 hours.
The Mississippi, carrying the
muddy Missouri waters which
created the nation's first billion
dollar flood, is expected to crest
at 4U.5 feet at St. Louis Mon
day. That would be the highest
mark recorded here since 1844.
Most of the 300 people living
at West Alton at the crossroads
of the rivers remained skepti
cal. however, even as the waters
poured over the last remaining
barrier protecting the communi
ty.
The Coast Guard was stand
ing by with boats to evacuate
the die-hards who through the
years have become accustomed
to floods. Some merely moved
groceries and other possessions
to second floors of th ir homes.
FAIRBANKS MARSHAL
RESIGNS
FAIRBANKS (AP) — Frank
Barr resigned as United States
Marshal in the Fourth Division
yesterday to accept a position
with Alaska Airlines.
Barr said he ha dbeen offered
the post as Northern Division
manager of the airhne which
is opening a new Fairbanks-to
Portland. Ore., air service.
The Marshal’s office is under
manned and underpaid. Barr
said, and he had no choice but
to take the offer since Alaska
living costs are high and he has
a family.
King of Jordan Assassinated
CAIRO (AP)—King Abdullah
of Jordan was assassinated today
as he was entering a mosque in
Jerusalem.
The killing promised new
diiiicuiiies in the Middle Easi
for the Brixish. already har
ried by the Iranian oil crisis.
The British put Abdullah on
the Jordan throne after World
War II and suppled funds to
his government and its strong
Arab Legion.
Abdullah, 69, was shot and
killed at the entrance of the
Agsa Mosque in the Old City of
Jerusalem, the British Foreign
Office said. The government
LONG TIME ALASKAN
TAKEN BY DEATH
FAIRBANKS (AP) — Word
was received here yesterday of
the death at Horner, Alaska, of
Julian Guy Rivers, longtime
Fairbanks attorney and business
man.
Rivers, 70, came north in
1915 to Whitehorse and Dawson,
Y. T. In 1923, he moved to Fair
banks where he practiced law
and became city magistrate and
secretary of tne Chamber oi'
Commerce.
Survivors include his widow,
Florence M., of Fairbanks, and
eight children and 11 grand
children, most of them in Alas
ka.
The sons included Ralph Riv
ers, Fairbanks attorney, and
Victor C. Rivers, Architect and
engineer of Anchorage.
Victor Rivers, who has been
in Seward since Monday, super
vising work on the airport, was
advised Wednesday night of his
father's sudden illness in Homer.
He made unsuccessful efforts to
get to Homer with a local phys
ician there being no doctor in
Homer.
Low ceiling and heavy fog
had grounded all planes, and
arrangements were finally made
with 10th Rescue at Elmcndorf
Field to evacuate Mr. Rivers.
Telephone communication was
finally established with Homer,
and the elderly attorney re
fused to leave Homer, thinking
that he was feeling better. He
passed away at 11:30 Thursday
morning.
radio at Amman, in announcing’
the death of the bearded leader,
said Abdullah’s second son, 35
year-old Prince Naif, has been
named temporarily as Prince
Regent. The Crown Prince, Tal
lal, 40, has been under treat
ment for a nervous disorder.
Mullahs (Moslem priests)
chanted verses of the Mohamme
dan Koran over the Amman
radio in mourning as soon as the
news was announced. Friday is
the Moslem sabbath.
The king claimed direct des
cent from the family of the
Prophet Mohammed.
Reds Displeased With
Japanese Treaty
WASHINGTON (AP) — The
United States today invited sev
eral nations to meet in San Fran
cisco, Sept. 4, to complete and
sign a peace treaty with Japan.
The invitations were accom
panied by copies of a treaty
draft jointly sponsored by the
United States and Great Britain.
The invitations specified the
conference would be held “on
the terms” of that draft.
Russia was among the coup..- ,
tries invited but officials here
regarded it as virtually cer
tain that Moscow would reject
the bid. The Soviet Union has
sharply criticized not only
some parts of the proposed
treaty, but also the way it was
drawn up.
DRAGNET OUT FOR WISE
ANCHORAGE (AP) — A dis
trict court warrent was ordered
yesterday for the arrest of Paul
Wise, former United States Com
missioner at Kenai, on the Kenai
Peninsula.
The action was taken after
Wise failed to appear to face
charges of embezzlement of $4,
000 in public money from April
1, 1940 to Feb. 3, 1951.
His bail of $5,000 was ordered
forfeited. Law enforcement ag
ents put out a “dragnet” for
Wise, last reported seen in Sew
ard July 7.
LoccsS Pilot injured In Crash
Keith Lennart, well known
local pilot-owner was injured
Monday, when his Stinson plane
crash landed on Bainbridge Is
land, in Prince William Sound
at about 2 pm.
Mr. and Mrs. Clarence Jacob
sen of Whittier were passengers.
They both sustained broken
ones, one a b ro k e n arm, the
other aii ankle. The Jacobsens
are former residents of Cordova
where they lived for several
years before moving to Whittier.
Although the plane crashed
sometime Monday afternoon,
the trio were not found and re
moved to San Juan until some
time Wednesday. They were tak
en to San Juan by the fishing
boat Mary D. From there, after
receiving firat aid, the injured
persons were flown to the Cor
dova hospital. Heavy fog and
poor communications delayed
search and rescue for many
hours. Radio communication was
so bad that messages from San
Juan were relayed through Ket
chikan to Anchorage.
f ull extent of Lenhart’s in
juries could not be learned to
day but it is known that he suf
fered multiple fracture of the
leg and possible concussion. It
is thought that he must have
been thrown from the open door
on his side of the plane,which
was on a steep hillside, and that
part of his injuries may have
been caused by a fall down the
mountain.
Mrs. Mary Friske, Mr. Len
hart's mother, left Seward yes
terday by plane to go to her
son’s bedside in Cordova.
Fliers who have seen the
wreck from the air say that the
plane seems to be a total loss.
It is a new plane, flown in by
Lenhart a few weeks ago.