Seward
The Galevcay City of Interior Alaska Since 1903.
$ e a p o r f
Record
Seward’* All-lV'calker Port is Alaska's Greatest Asset.
j 7o\. VII. No. 102
SEWARD. ALASKA. FRIDAY, JUNE 22, 1951
Price 10 cents
SHIPPING STRIKE SETTLED
The Story of
SEWARD
VII
More About the Early Settlers
SOME INTERESTING
"FIRSTS"
Last week, we learned how
John Ballaine made a trip to
Washington D. C.. and obtained
the personal intercession of
President Theodore Roosevelt in
clearing the name of ' Seward,'’
and in getting an official OK on
the proposed route for the Alas
ka Central Railroad.
Back in Seward, Alaska (now
it's official name) folks weren't
exactly wasting their time,
either. Work went forward rap
idly on the first dock. The Bal
laine sawmill was also con
structed in 19U3, at a point near
the intersection of First Avenue
and the beach. The first lot was
sold to Den Carlos Brownell. Sr.,
for SI000. Other lots were pur
chased by Brown and Hawkins,
and a man named Kimball, all
of whom began building small
stores. Brown and Hawkins was
the first store to open: Brown
ell’s and Kimball's followed
shortly. Lilly Gordon, one of the
first landing party, began work
on the Alaska Shop, which
housed the first postoffice with
herself as the first postrnistr ss.
She also conducted a photo
graphic business and a news
stand, all on the same lot as the
present Alaska Shop.
The first Brown and Hawkins
store stood where the pr esent
Arcade building is located, and
Brownell's hardware store was
erected on the site of the present
Yukon Bar. A rough roadway
was cleared along what is now
Fourth Avenue, from the dock
to the summit of the first hill.
On each side of this muddy,
deeply rutted road stood tall,
thick timber.
During the winter of 1903-04,
work proceeded on clearing of
lots, erection of small buildings,
and generally preparing for the
feverish activity expected in tire
spring of 1904.
1904 was indeed a busy year.
Many new settlers joined the
group already located in tents,
log cabins and one-room frame
buildings. Brown and Hawkins,
while operating their first tiny
one-room store, had already be
gun work on their present large
store building, and had closed
down their store in Valdez,
transporting their stocks of
merchandise to Seward.
On June 12, 1904. the first re
ligious service was held. The
Reverend Father F. C. Taylor
came over from the Church of
the Epiphany in Valdez to con
duct Episcopal service in a pri
vate home. Somewhat later, the
Episcopalians put up a tent to
house their services, but unfor
tunately the tent blew down
during the winter of 1904-1905,
and services were hold in vari
ous locations, the railroad of
fice, the Alaska Brotherhood
Hall, and in Moore's Hall, which
was a log structure used for
dances and other public gather
ings, located just south of the
present New Seward Hotel.
The Methodists were the sec
ond to hold a religious service,
which was conducted in a vac
ant saloon on Fourth Avenue
during August, 1904, with the
(Turn to Page 4)
Small Boat Harbor
Regulations Issued
By Harbor Master
Certain regulations have been
set up for users of the Seward
Small Boat Shelter Harbor.
1. SPEED LIMIT in the harbor
is 3 m.p.h. Many complaints have
been received of damage caused
by speeding boats. Under Mari
time Law they can be held re
sponsible for damages caused by
their wake even though the
speeding boat does not actually
touch another.
“Most people do not realize
what a terriiie swell a small
boat can create, and larger boats
can cause considerable damage
due to failure of engine or re
verse mechanism,” stated the
Harbor Master.
2. MOORING. Boats under 32
feet in length are to moor on
inside (north side) of float only.
3. LOADING zone is plainly
marked and is to b used oni>
for loading and unloading. This
applies also to the grid which is
for use only of boats undergoing
repau s.
SKIFFS. A skiff or rowboat
mooring zone will be established
immediately across from the
loading zone (at the foot of tli.?
ramp; as soon as possible. It w ill
be marked with white paint (the
loading zone is yellow), and only
shift's and rowboats are to be
tied th.re. In this class are ail
boats under 18 feet in length
and others not having perman
ently installed engines. (Except
ed are those belonging to and
which are tenders for larger
boats moored at the float.)
The Harbor Master intends to
install a skiff float as soon as
ether repairs are caught up.
4. NO PARKING ot automo
biles is allowed on the approach
to the float. This includes th.
area immediately in front of the
approach also. Parking on the
little dock will be allowed for
the present, since there is little
other space available—however,
cars must be moved if they in
terfere with loading operations
and permanent parking is pro
hibited. Permanent parking is
construed as leaving of cars park
ed for several days while owners
are out on the Bay.
5. BOATS OVER 65 feet in
length will not be allowed to
moor at the float. The float is
not strong enough to handle
larger boats, especially in rough
weather. They can tie up at the
little dock in the harbor, or, if
they prefer, they can tie up at
the Marine Ways or the San
Juan docks, if they do not inter
fere with the operations of the
lesees, Seward Fish and Cold
Storage Company.
6. STORM WARNING. The
Harbor Master will attempt to
give warning by radio and other
available means when it becom \s
rough inside the harbor, but it
is the responsibility of the own
ers to check their boats and see
that they are tied up properly.
Arrangements can be made to
have boats taken care of if the
owner so desires when leaving
town, etc.
Mr. Perry, the Harbor Master,
urges that suggestions or com
plaints be brought to his atten
tion and they will be investigat
ed. He can be contacted aboard
his boat the Charbus, or at the
Fish and Cold Storage Company,
or through the city police.
The Harbor Master has had
several years experience as a
U. S. Army Harbor Master where
he supervised all phases of car
(Turn to Page 4)
Tide Recording
Station to Be Here
Commander Gilmore, U. S.
Coast and Geodetic Survey, ar
rived yesterday with the Lester
Jones, on the semi-annual main
tenance voyage of the ship to
re-establish the tide recording
station in Seward.
Th ' station which for several
years occupied a small building
on the city dock was removed
in the spring to make wav for
the expansion of dock facilities.
Since that time, only tempera
ture and gravity reports have
b en made by the local recorder.
The tide station is the primary
marker for all bench points in
this area, according to Comman
der Gilmore, and it is important
that it be replaced in approxi
mately the same location as be
fore.
Incidentally, Wednesday. June
20 had the lowest-low or minus
tides ever recorded on the Paci
fic Coast since 1010. The same
low tide was recorded in every
station on the const. Tides seem
to moke a cycle with a curve
which extends over a long peri
od of years, as shown by charts
compile:! by tim C and GS. whose
observations are not as uninter
esting as might be supposed.
B. C. Firm to 3^i!d
Nurses Quarters
A Canadian firm, Pacific Con
struction Company, Vancouver,
British Columbia, was awarded
the contract for construction of
the nurses home building in
Seward.
Arrangements are being made
this week to house the construc
tion gang of approximately 20
men who will arrive shortly to
begin work on the building
The nurse’s home will be the
first building to be erected on
the Brownell Homestead land
recently purchased by the city.
It will house 20 nurses, is a strict
ly modern, fireproof and earth
quake proof building.
Construction of the nurses
quarters is a project of the Wo
men's Society of Christian Ser
vice of the M( thodist Church
Division of Home Missions and
Church Extensions, U. S. Dr.
A. Frank Smith, president of the
division will be in Seward next
week to at* nd the Alaska Con
ference being held in the local
church.
Members of the nursing staff
of Seward General Hospital and
the Sanatorium will be housed
in the new home in town.
COUPLE WED HERE IN 1919
VISIT SEWARD
Mr. and Mrs. Paul L. Schwartz
of Monrovia, California, arrived
on the SS Baranof today to re
visit the scene of their marriage
July 14, 1919.
They were married in the par
sonage of the Methodist church
by Reverend Cook. They have
not met anyone yet who remem
bers Rev. Cook.
Mr. Schwartz was employed by
George Sexton in the early days
here, met his wife and was mar
ried while working on the con
struction of the railroad.
The Schwartzes now live in
California, where he is owner
and publisher of the California
Dairyman, a bi-monthly stock
paper. They will return as far
as Valdez to pick up their car and
continue the tour of Alaska by
automobile. This is their first re
turn trip to the Territory.
Airport Engineer
Crew to Arrive
Saturday
Tony Schwamm, director of
aviation, and Mr. Apostal, spe
cial assistant attorney general
for the Territory of Alaska, ar
rived in Seward Thursday after
noon to complete property settle
ments for the airport. The en
gineering crew expects to be in
Seward Saturday, or not later
than Monday, June 25. Property
maps and general layout plans
arc completed from data gather
ed last fall, Mr. Schwamm stat
ed. Some details remain to be
settled, however, in a discrepan
cy between two different sur
veys.
The Seward airport along with
three others in the Territory will
be constructed by the Depart
ment of Aviation under the Fed
eral Aid Program, whereby tin?
federal government pays 75 per
cent of the cost, and the Terri
tory, through aviation gasoline
tax, pays 25 percent.
Other airfields to go in under
the program are located at
Quartz Creek in me Kougarok
area nori h of Nome; Eagle,
which is located at Haines and
an additional project to the Dill
ingham airfield on which con
struction was started last sum
mer by allowing more gravel t'
be added to the surface of this
field.
The Quartz Creek. Eagle and
Seward airfields will be large
enough to accommodate DC3’s.
The Haines field will be adjacent
to the present airfield but will
be considerably longer, allowing
plan s of the PBY. Air Force
Packet! and DC4\s.
DeLougherys Leaving
Monday
Mr. and Mrs. Frank DeLoueh
ery and children will leave Mon
day for Milwaukee. They will
visit along the way witli rela
tives in Anchorage and Fair
banks. planning a leisurely drive
Outside.
The DcLoughervs have lived
about five years in Seward. He
was associated with the Seaport
Record in the early days of its
existence, with the Seward Elec
tric System and Water Supply
Company. Mrs. DrLoughery is a
member of the Seward Register
ed Nurses Association, and con
ducted Kindergarten classes for
a year.
Like so many othor young
people, they built their own
home, putting many hours of
personal labor into the project.
The five room house situated
on the recently opened Sixtli
Avenue was purchased by Mr.
and Mrs. T. A. Aldous, who will
occupy it.
Frank and Eleanor DeLough
ery ara leaving many friends
behind in Seward who hid them
farewell with many good wishes
for their future projects.
TEXAN TO LIVE HERE
Mrs. Edna Beeson arrived in
Seward aboard the Baranof to
day. She has left her home in
Texas to live with her daughter
and son-in-law “Bud” Terry of
the Seward Leather Works.
Sharon, daughter of Mr. and
Mrs. Irwin Dyer, is back home
after a stay of two years in or
near Hollywood, California. Miss
Dyer arrived yesterday by train
from Anchorage.
No word was available here
today as to the terms of settle
ment between steamship oper
ators and the striking radiomen.
W. W. Sipprell, Alaska Steam
ship Company agent in Seward,
v/as notified early this morning
that a settlement has been
reached and the passenger ship
Aleutian will sail at midnight.
Freighters are also scheduled to
proceed immediately with the
Square Sinnet leaving Monday,
the Victoria and Susitna both
sailing the next day.
Coastwise Line’s freighter
John W. Burgess is scheduled to
arrive Seward on oMnday, June
25. The SS Pacificus is due the
next day. The Charles Crocker
is scheduled to leave Portland
tomorrow, June 23, arriving
here July 4.
Program Planned For
kVIetliodht Convention
Music will be an integral part
of the conference week when the
Seward Methodist Church will
be host to the Alaska Mission
Conference to begin Tuesday,
June 2G.
The conference begins offici
ally on Tuesday, but travel de
lays may curtail the number of
guests for the first day. A tea
is planned for Tuesday after
noon at the Jesse Lee Home
after guests are registred. Music
will be provided at the tea by
the Jesse Lee Home children.
Miss Betty Boyd will be solo
ist at the Tuesday evening ban
quet in the church, with Mrs.
Lyman Graves directing the
general singing at table during
the evening.
Mrs. Donn Lee, harp soloist,
will play at the Communion
Service Wednesday evening.
Llewelyn Shuster and Paul
McMullen are vocalists for two
oiner Wednesday services. They
will be accompanied by Audney
Horton and Jane McMullen.
Thursday music will include a
vioin, flute and piano ensemble;
harp, violin and organ trio,
piano and vocal solos.
A male quartet will sing at
the Friday evening meriting. An
anthem by the choir with Miss
Betty Boyd carrying solo parts,
will be heard Sunday morning.
Paul McMullen, accompanied by
his sister, will sing Sunday
night.
Speaking of fhe
Weather
Speaking of the weather, did
anyone notice the unusual sun
spots and rainbows early Wed
nesday morning?
Between 5:30 and 6:30 in the
morning the sun was in the cen
ter of a double rainbow ring.
The two rings circling the sun
were brilliantly colored for a
short time. At each of the four
quadrant points of the inner cir
cle a bright sundog was plainly
visible. The whole thing looked
like a geometric figure painted
in the eastern sky.
The light mist soon spread and
before noon the sun was com
pletely obscured again by heavy
cloud, returning the inhabitants
to the month long gloomy spell
of weather. The only whole day
of sunshine we have had occur
red on the 7th day of the month.
Judging by past performance
of the weather maker however,
we can be cheered with the ex
pectation of a good day by July
4th.