Weather
June 26
June 27
June 28
June 29
June 30
July
July
1
High Low Precip.
76
72
69
72
72
55
57
55
53
58
65 48
.... 63 50 Trace
Seward
The Gateway City of Interior Alaska Since 1903.
^Record
Seward's All-lV eather Port is Alaskcts Greatest Asset.
Only newspaper in the
world that gives a hoot
about Seward, Alaska.
Vol. X. No. 1
SEWARD, ALASKA, FRIDAY, JULY 3, 1953
Price 10 Cents
BIG RAGE SET
ARR Employees
Receive
Pay Increase
A pay increase of five and
three-quarters cents an hour for
2300 employees of The Alaska
Railroad was recently approved
in Washington. D.C., according
to word received here this week.
The boost includes the four
cent an ho_yr Guthrie award
made to railroad workers in the
States' plus an additional one
and three-quarter cents for Al
aska Railroad personnel.
Del Van Curzcr, chairman of
the Brotherhood of Railroad
Trainmen on The Alaska Rail
road, was advised of the in
crease by officials of his Bro
therhood in Washington, D C.
Unions on The Alaska Rail
road asked for two cents above
the Guthrie award, but Secre
tary of Interior McKay set the
boost at one and three-quarter
cents based on a 44 per cent
living differential.
Seven unions and officials of
The Alaska Railroad agreed to
the four cent hike earlier this
spring. However, a request by
the unions for another two cents
was left up to officials of the
Interior Department and union
delegates in Washington.
The boost is retroactive to
Marta 17 for employees of the
railroad covered by unions and
March 24 for those not repre
sented. Railroad authorities here
indicated the “back pay’’ would
be added to the regular check
of employees as quickly as they
can.
The pay increase is expected
to cost the railroad more than
S200.000 a year in additional
salaries.
Cordova Airlines
Wins Aviation
Safety Award
Cordova Airlines was named
a winner of the National Safety
Council’s aviation safety award
in recognition of its contribu
tion to safe air transportation
in 1952.
The scheduled Alaskan air
carrier, besides completing the
year 1952 without a passenger
or crew fatality, lias carried over
one m i 11 i o n passenger miles
without injury to a passenger.
All Council awards made by
its award advisory committee,
Lt. Gen. James H. Doolittle and
Harry F. Guggenheim, are based
on the official records of the
Civil Aeronautics Board, and
total miles are those accumu
lated in scheduled passenger
carrying operations only.
Cordova Airlines operates
transport-type equipment o n
scheduled routes connecting An
chorage with Cordova, Seward,
Valdez, and Yakataga, and bush
opertions to Fairbanks, Prince
William Sound points, and the
extensive Copper River Valley
area.
A beautiful engraved plaque
will be presented to the carrier
in recognition of its award.
TEN CASES OF BEEH ADDED
TO LIST OF PARADE FRIZES
As an added inducement to
Fourth of July paraders, Solly's
and the manufacturer have of
fered ten cases of Lucky Lager
beer as prizes. Adult prize win
ners in the many events will be
given an order to be filled by
Solly's upon demand.
This year’s parade is expected
to be the best ever. Entrants »n.
to contact Frank Roberts.
WINNING TIMES OF
MT. MARATHON RACES
1915 J. WALTERS
1916 A. BO LAM
1917 T. KARDOFF
1918 J. KARAOFF
1919 D. MAUTENG
1925 E. VOGEL
1926 E. ECKMAN
1927 E. ECKMAN
1928 E. KALMAKOFF
1929 E. KALMAKCFF
1930 E. KALMAKOFF
1931 W. KANYAK
1939 J. HUGHES
1940 J. HUGHES
1941 O. WILSON
1943 R. PECK
1944 I. KALMAKOFF
1945 M. BREDT
1946
R. HATCH
1947
1948
1949
1950
1951
1952
1953
R. HATCH
R. HATCH
R. HATCH
R. HATCH
D. STICKMAN
D. STICKMAN
?
Min.
62
55
57
53
66
57
53
61
Sec.
0
12
39
30
<15
40
26
17
52 35
(Record)
55
54
56
53
65
69
70
59
61
13
0
24
55
0
23
15
59
11
59
58
58
57
66
58
56
53
13
31
52
10
38
36
Plans Completed For Seward’s
Annual July 4 Celebration
STREETS CLOSED
Fourth Avenue from Church
Street to Railroad will be closed
to all traffic commencing at 7
a.m. Saturday, July 4. There
will be a blockade on Fourth
Avenue at Jefferson Street.
Hospital Patients to
See Parade
Last minute preparations were
underway today to make this
year’s Fourth of July parade
the biggest ever held in Sew
ard. Most of the fraternal and
social groups in the city, many
of the businesses and a large
group of children are putting
the last touches to their entry.
Starting time for the parade
is 1:30 tomorrow afternoon. The
route of this year’s display of
Seward talent and business will
be as usual—starting at the
Civic Cen1 r, down Fourth Ave.
to Washington, west on Wash
ington to Third Ave. and north
on Third to Adams, then west
to Second Ave. v here the pa
rade will turn south past the
hospital to the patients can en
joy it. The parade will end at
that point.
All entries are reminded that
assembly time for the parade
is 1:00 and the place is the
Civic Center. The parade will
start promptly at 1:30.
There is still time to make
an entry by calling Frank Rob
erts.
a-ffyonc is invited to
the parade and applaud their
favorite entry. The judges will
use the spectators' reactions in
awarding the prizes. All prizes
for the parade winners will be
presented at the Fourth of July
Dance in the Civic Center to
morrow night.
Episcopal Officials
In Plane Crash
Dr. Ralph Moore and Rev. Ed
ward Turner will be in Seward
Saturday and Sunday. They are
making a survey of the work of
the Episcopal Church in Alaska.
Last week the plane in which
they were traveling to Point
Hope was wrecked in take-off.
Not many details were known
about the accident until the
Bishop's letter was received in
Seward which contains the fol
lowing account:
“The Survey Team complet
ed its work in Tanana in two
days and then the plane took off
for Point Hope via Kotzebue.
There the Bisiiop refueled, us
ing a borrowed chamois strainer,
as his had been left in Tanana
that morning. The strainer was
faulty so water got into the gas
and when they were 300 feet in
the air, the engine quit and he
had to land off the runway in
rather rough ground. The plane
flipped over on its back and the
three occupants were suspended
upside down. They finally man
aged to get out of the plane.
Bishop and Father Turner did
not have a scratch but Dr. Moore
received a cut on the head from
some baggage.
“The tail section Was beaten
up, propeller badly damaged,
fuselage bent, and one wing
strut broken. Dr. Moore was put
in the Kotzebue hospital over
night. Dr. Moore and Fr. Turner
planned to go on to Point Hope
the following morning by com
mercial plane while the Bishop
returned to Fairbanks the night
of the accident.”
In a letter to his mother, Mrs.
Frances O’Brien, Father Turner
praised Bishop Gordon’s expert
handling of the plane. The
Bishop saved their lives by glid
ing away from the water over
which they had been flying, he
said, and landed in rough coun
try. Otherwise they would have
come down on the ice floes or
open water.
After the regular service at
St. Peter’s Church Sunday morn
ing, at which the guests will of
ficiate. members of the congre
gation and guests will enjoy the
usual coffee hour in the church
dining hall. This will give every
one an opportunity to meet the
team. It is not known whether
Bishop Gordon will accompany
the survey team to Seward.
Seward's 4th of July celebra
tion will begin this year at 10:30
with the kids’ events.
CHILDREN S RACES AT 10:30
will include the usual events
of foot and bicycle races for
different age . groups. All
events will be held on Fourth
Avenue between Washington
and Adams Streets.
Chairman of the program of
Kids Events is Jack Jeffrey.
ARRIVAL OF TRAIN at noon
or thereabouts will give the
visitors an opportunity to seP
something of the town and get
places from which to watch
the parade and Mt. Marathon
race.
PARADE AT 1:30 will start
from the Methodist Church
corner. It is expected to be
the . largest parade in several
years.
JET PLANES AT 1:30 from El
mendorf—weather permitting.
MARATHON RACE AT 2:30.
Tickets on sale until the first
runer reaches the top.
BASEBALL GAME AT 4:00.
Seward team vs. Army team.
On the new diamond in front
of the Jesse Lee Service Club.
Parking room for everybody.
4TH OF JULY DANCE AT 9:00
in the Civic Center. An or
chestra will be on hand for
the music. Refreshments as
usual in the basement.
AWARD OF PRIZES for the day
at 11:30 at the dance.
SUGGESTION
Everyone knows that by 2:30
in the afternoon the dust is so
thick from street traffic that
the mountain is barely visible.
In order to see the race it will
be necessary to keep the dust
down. If everybody on Third
and Fourth Avenues will hose
down the street in front of his
property it should help the sit
uation a great deal.
Reporter's
Notebook
Paving progress on the high
way is no news to Sewardites
who can hardly wait for the
blacktop to cool before trying
out each new stretch. The road
is finished to Mile 5 now and
is it wonderful!
The U.S. Navy Transport
Thomas Jefferson docked this
week with a full load of troops
for rotation in Alaska. The ship
also took out a load for the
Outside.
Mr. and Mrs. Tom Howell
with the two boys Teddy and
Harold arrived home Monday.
They drove clear to Miami. Flor
ida and return, a distance of
13,400 miles. Had only one flat
tire, and that in front of a fill
ing station! The Howells visited
several former Seward people
in various parts of the States,
saw Yellowstone Park, Carlsbad
Caverns and other popular and
historic points along the way.
St. Peter's Episcopal Church
got a new steeple this week, or
rather the old one was replaced
and reinforced.
The steeple which was blown
off in the last big wind storm
had stood proudly over the little
church for 47 years. It finally
was dislodged, but will be good
now for at least 50 years, nr
cording to the workmen who
replaced it. The cross atop the
steeple was made of metal by
Seward Shea.
Mr. and Mrs. Pob Baumgart
ner are back in town for the
summer. California and Wash
ington are wonderful places, but
they cannot hold out against
the call of Alaska for the Baum
gartners who spent many years
of their life here.
Mrs. Elsie Whitmore, Janice
and Brent are back from a
month long visit in Utah. Mrs.
Whitmore is librarian of the
Seward Community Library.
NOTICE
The racing committee re
quests any climbers on Mt. Mar
athon Saturday to keep all dogs
off the mountain. They are a
danger to racers.
Seward's Baseball
Team to Play Sat.
For a long number of years
Seward has been without a base
ball team. Things have changed.
We now have a team and thev
have UNIFORMS! Brand new
uniforms have just arrived with
the word “Seward" across the
back.
In early days Seward had a
good ball team. Several pictures
are to be found around town
showing the men who are now
oldtimcrs. The hope of the pres
ent team is to keep it going.
They will play tho-Army boys
at the new diamond in front of
the Jesse Lee Service Club at
4:00 p.m. Saturday—right after
the big race.
Lots of parking room for
everybody in town. Let's go to
the ball game!
Proper Use of the
Flag in Parade
Being Independence Day, the
most significant celebration of
the year to Americans, the Flag
will be prominently displayed
Saturday.
It is often used as decoration
In anvv Fuui th oi July parade,
and will, without doubt, be used
tomorrow.
Many complaints were heard
after the parade last year about
the Flag being displayed in the
wrong manner. There are def
inite rules and regulations con
cerning display of the American
Flag.
NEVER drape the American
Flag over the hood or body of an
automobile or truck. The flag
staff may be fastened to the
bumper or in such other UP
RIGHT position that the flag is
displayed prominently and will
not be soiled by drooping or
blowing against the vehicle.
Improper use of the Flag as
decoration of automobiles in the
parade will disqualify the entry
for prizes.
Kirkpatrick Resigns
Police Chief
Folice Chief Jimmie Kirkpat
rick has sent in his resignation
to the City Council, effective
immediately. The council will
act on it at the next regular
meeting, July 6.
Kirkpatrick stated to the press
that he had enjoyed his position
and appreciated the fine cooper
ation given him by all members
of the force and townspeople.
He resigned to take other em
ployment.
Don Balmat is police chief in
temporary capacity until an ap
pointment is made permanent by
the City Council.
DR. WAGNER APPOINTED
TO EXAMINING BOARD
Dr. R. M. Wagner of Seward
was appointed to the Alaska
Dental Examiners Board by
Gov. B. Frank Heintzleman.
Dr. Wagner will leave for
Juneau Friday, July 3, where
the Eoard will be held this year
from July 6 to July 10.
Following the Board meeting
Alaska dentists will hold a con
vention in Juneau which the
Seward dentist will also attend.
Mrs. Wagner plans to leave
on July 11 to join her husband
for the convention. She will fly
to Juneau, then they will drive
back over the highway from
Haines.
ANCHORAGE C OF C MEN
TO EE HERE TUESDAY
The Tuesday meeting of Sew
ard Chamber of Commerce will
be held at noon in the new Gate
way Cafe.
Representatives of the An
chorage dumber of Commerce
will be present and will speak
in reply to Chas. Milin and Win
Irvin who spoke in Anchorage
last week! EVERYBODY IN
VITED TO ATTEND!
Mt. Marathon Race
Draws Many Entries
From Out-of-Town
A number of men from Out
side and from other parts of the
Territory have been inquiring
about race details with the idea
or fixed intention of entering.
A group from Anchorage this
week declare that Johanson,
cross-country skier, will definite
ly be among the top three this
year. He came in fourth in 1952,
and has a big following of en
thusiastic supporters in town
this week.
Local townspeople who have
watched the climb year after
year, still expect the real con
test to be between Ralph Hatch
and Don Stickman, both of
whom are well acquainted with
the mountain and are experi
enced climbers.
Walker, of Kansas City and
Hope, Alaska, is still to be reck
oned with. He has made third
place for the past three years
without apparent difficulty. He
is prepared to try again Satur
day.
The exact number of entries
is never known until almost the
last minute as visitors just com
ing to town quite often decide
upon the spur of the moment.
Everything points toward a
really hot contest, however, es
pecially if the weather stays
right.
Guessing will be on the min
ute, second, and tenths of a sec
ond, which adds more excite
ment and makes it a more per
sonal deal than in past years.
Tickets will be on sale until the
first racer reaches the top.
The latest entry is that of Jim
Coleman, who is from Fairbanks
but is now working in Seward.
SS BARANOF STEWARD IN
SEWARD HOSPITAL,
WELL KNOWN HERE
Joseph Clayton, chief steward
aboard the SS Baranof, suffered
a stroke of paralysis Wednesday
and was removed to the Seward
General Hospital upon the ship's
arrival here.
Mr. Clayton has been with the
Alaska Steamship Company for
over 30 years. He is well known
to Sewardites, having married a
Seward girl, Elsie Leslie.
He served on the SS McKinley
and the SS Yukon when those
ships were running the Seattle
Alaska route, and has been on
the Baranof for several years.
Mrs. Clayton has been notified
of her husband's condition, but
word has not been received if
she is coming to Seward. They
live in Seattle.
JESSE LEE HOME READY
FOR PAINT
Donn Lee, superintendent of
Jesse Lee Home is calling for
bids for furnishing labor for
exterior painting of the build
ings. Specifications will be fur
nished unon request. Bids will
close July 15.
The Mt. Marathon Race will
start and end, as usual, at the
corner of Fourth and Washing
ton. Starting time is promptly
at 2:30. All entries must gather
at the fire hall at noon for
physical examination. Any who
have not signed entry before
that time can do it at the fire
hall.
As the exact time down to
tenths of seconds is important
this year the following three
local men have been named as
timers: Carl R. Carlson, Carl
Orlander and Irwin Metcalf.
They will be stationed at the
finish line.
Army Manned Walkie-Talkies
Three walkie-talkie radios will
be spaced, one in town, one half
way up the mountain, and one
at the top. They will be manned
by Army personnel by courtesy
of the U.S. Army, Fort Richard
son. The radios will help watch
ers keep track of individual run
ners, as they cannot be identi
fied very accurately by sight
from the street.
Ticket Depository
There will be only one deposi
tory for tickets on Saturday. A
huge barrel will be placed on
the reviewing stand. Every
guesser must deposit his own
ticket in the barrel.
Prizes at Dance
All prizes for the parade and
Mt. Marathon race will be
awarded at 11:30 p.m. at the
dance in the Civic Center. In ad
dition to cash prizes for race
winners the committee is fur
nishing a trophy to each of the
first three to place. A fourth
trophy will be held for the win
ner of three consecutive years.
This trophy is much larger than
the others. It will be inscribed
with the name o£ the winner
each year until it is finally
awarded to the three-time win
ner.
Each runner must pass a phy
sical examination given by the
committee. Dr. Norman D. Hall
will be at the fire hall at noon
to make examinations. No per
son under 18 years of age is per
mitted to enter the race; other
wise it is open to anyone.
The judge at the top is Charlie
Peterson, who has performed
this service many times. He will
plant a flag around which the
racers will turn before starting
the descent.
A1 and Carol Weber are the
appointed official photograph
ers.
ENGINEERING EQUIPMENT
FOR SALE BY B.P.R.
The Bureau of Public Roads
at Seward is offering for sale
to the highest bidder certain
engineering instruments, consist
ing of seven used transits. Sealed
bids are to be opened in the
Office of the District Engineer
on July 14 at 1:00 p.m. Interest
ed parties may secure bid forms
and inspect the instruments in
Room 2 of the Federal Building
at Seward between the hours of
8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Monday
through Saturday until July 13.
Methodist Heads on Alaska Tour
Bishop A. Raymond Grant,
Bishop of the Oregon area which
comprises all of the Pacific
Northwest and Alaska, and Dr.
Elliott Fisher, executive secre
tary of the National Missions of
the Methodist Church with head
quarters in New York, will be
guest speakers in the Seward
Methodist Church next Sunday,
July 5.
In view of the advance pro
gram contemplated by the
church organization in Alaska,
the dignitaries will visit other
churches in Alaska and on the
Kenai Peninsula to acquaint
themselves with development
problems and needs. They will
also do advance guard work for
the establishment of a Christian
College in the Territory.